It's just the luck of the draw for the Ottawa Senators. After an impressive 99-point season, a two-point improvement over last year's team, the Senators enter the 2025-26 postseason once again as the number six seed. But because of the playoff format, the Sens' reward is facing the best team in the conference, the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes finished the year with a 53-22-7 record and 113 points. They own the second best goal differential (+56) in the Eastern Conference and scored the most goals (296) while allowing the second least goals against (231). But unlike a lot of matchups where the top seed is miles ahead of their first-round opponent, the Senators and the Hurricanes match up fairly well against each other, which means either team can realistically come out on top in this series.
3 things to watch as the Senators and the Hurricanes battle in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal
Defense will be key
As mentioned, the Hurricanes were a very stingy group during the 2025-26 season, but so were the Senators. They finished seventh in goals against (246) and sixth in goals for (278) while holding on to the fourth best goal differential in the conference (+32). It might feel like an almost impossible task to stop one of the league's best offences, but the Senators have some weapons on the blue line and have shown a tendency to wear opponents down.
The Senators recorded more hits than any other team who is in this year's playoff picture. Between Brady Tkachuk, Nick Cousins, Dylan Cozens, and Fabian Zetterlund, the Sens are not only a physical team but a physically skilled team, something the Hurricanes haven't come up against too often in years past. The Sens also work hard in the defensive zone, and between Jake Sanderson, Artem Zub, and Thomas Chabot, they have a group who, despite being injured throughout parts of the year, are coming back to full strength at just the right time.
Plus, the third line duo of Shane Pinto and Michael Amadio was one of the best shutdown lines in the game this season. When they were on the ice, the Senators outshot opponents 319-266 and outscored them by +3. Between this line, the defense being healthy, plus the big boys punishing the Hurricanes, life may be difficult in this series for the No. 1 seed.
Which Goaltender rises to the occasion?
When the Senators landed Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins and then signed him to a four-year, $33 million contract before he even played a game with the team, it was done specifically so that they had the backbone of what they hoped would be a perennial playoff-contending Sens squad. Two years with Ulmark has given the Sens two straight playoff berths, something they haven't done in over a decade.
The former Vezina winner was great in his first year with Ottawa but struggled out of the gate in his second season. However, he bounced back to finish with a strong .926 save percentage in six games in April, continuing a hot post-Olympics stretch in which he compiled a 12-4-3 record with a .902 SV% and 2.51 GAA. If Ulmark keeps this rolling, this could be the story of having a hot goaltender steal a couple of games to win a series.
On the other side, the Hurricanes could have a three-headed monster to contend with in net; the problem is, who do they trust the most since they can only start one each night? Is it Brandon Bussi, who was the number three goalie on the depth chart but found himself sporting a 23-3-1 record by the middle of February and earning a contract extension. You'd think he would be the clear-cut No. 1, but his .865 SV% since the Olympic break has been one of the worst marks in the league.
Frederik Andersen's overall numbers haven't been great either. He played in 35 games this year, the most since he started 51 during his All-Star campaign in his first year in Carolina in 2021-22. But he allowed 107 goals in those 35 games this year, posting an .874 SV% and a 3.05 GAA.
Then there's Pyotr Kochetkov, who posted decent numbers in nine games played before suffering a major injury and hasn't appeared in a game since December 20. The Hurricanes need one of these guys to step up, while the Senators are hoping that Ulmark can turn his playoff fortunes around and look like a number one goalie when the games really matter.
Did the Sens learn anything from last year?
At this time a year ago, the Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs were about to embark on a seven-game series that truly reignited the "Battle of Ontario." While the Sens came up short, losing 4-2 in Game 7, all the players that played in that series talked about using that as a lesson and learning how to take the next step. Sanderson told reporters, "I think it makes you more comfortable and helps the nerves. You know what to expect for most parts." Chabot, who said, "(Carolina) made runs every year, and this is only the second time we've made (the) playoffs. So I know that every single guy in here is ready to face that challenge, and we can’t wait to get it going."
Those are encouraging words from two players who are expected to be big factors in this series, but the Hurricanes have won seven straight first-round playoff series, with this being their eighth straight playoff appearance. Under Rod Brind'Amour, they've also been to three of the past seven Eastern Conference Finals. However, they have only won one game in those three series.
So the Hurricanes have a wealth of even deeper playoff experience to pull from, while the Senators will be heading into this series not exactly looking like a deer in the headlights but about as close to that metaphor as you can be.
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