Carolina Hurricanes vs Ottawa Senators Betting Picks

The teams have had two days off after Carolina's 3-2 double-overtime victory. During the regular season, Carolina's offense was second in the NHL in goals scored (3.55 per game) and fourth on the power play, while the defense was 26th in save percentage. Ottawa is glad to be home, where they've scored 20 goals in their last four games. Ottawa's offense was eighth in goals scored (3.35 per game) and on the power play, plus 10th in shooting percentage. The defense ranked 29th in penalty killing and 31st in save percentage. Take Carolina/Ottawa OVER the total. 

Ottawa got a good performance from goalie Linus Ullmark, who stopped 27 of 29 shots, but the Senators missed several opportunities in the offensive zone, including going 0-for-4 on power plays, and lost 2-0 in Game 1. The Senators have still won five of their past seven games while allowing only 13 goals in that span. Carolina hasn't exactly been wearing out the goal light with six goals in its past three games. Ullmark was 28-12-3 with a 2.73 goals-against average with three shutouts in the regular season, and he had won his previous four starts while stopping 98 of 104 shots. Ottawa is still #11 in the NHL, scoring 3.35 goals per game, and it has capable skaters to put the puck in the net, including Tim Stutzle and Drake Batherson, who combined for 67 goals this season. As always in playoff competition, the Game 1 winner has a tendency to let down while the loser makes some adjustments and plays with urgency. Take the Senators on the puckline.

Ottawa has a +32 goal differential, the fourth-best in the Eastern Conference. The offense is eighth in the NHL in goals scored (3.35 per game) and 10th in power-play percentage. The defense is 13th in goals allowed per game (2.99). They open the playoffs on a 21-10 run. Carolina's offense ranks 18th in shooting percentage, while the defense is 26th in save percentage (.885). These teams play similar styles and match up evenly, with Carolina second in the NHL in 5-on-5 expected goals (55.89%) and Ottawa third (54.39%). Ottawa has won three of the last five meetings, including a 6-3 victory two weeks ago as an underdog. Play Ottawa.

The Hurricanes can seal their fourth Metropolitan Division title in six years against Ottawa today. Look for Carolina to do just that in a lower scoring game than the oddsmaker projects. The Hurricanes are 21-11-4 on the road this season. Ottawa has hit a rough patch dealing with a cluster injury problem on its blue line down multiple defensemen. The Senators are 1-4 in their last five games. They could be starting backup goalie James Reimer since Linus Ullmark was in goal during Ottawa's, 4-1, loss to the Wild yesterday. The Senators are likely to play a tight, conservative game given their goalie situation and down multiple defensemen. Carolina is the best in the NHL at limiting shots on goal. The Hurricanes just held the Islanders to 15 shots on net in a 4-3 win against them yesterday. Only six teams give up fewer goals per game than the Hurricanes. Opponents have managed only an average of 2.2 goals per game against the Hurricanes during the past five games. Carolina is 2-0 versus Ottawa this season with a 4-3 victory at home on Feb. 3 and a 4-1 road win on Jan. 24. Take the Hurricanes and the UNDER.