🏒 Senators vs. Hurricanes Game 1 Prediction & Odds: NHL Playoff Picks (April 18)

The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs begins in Carolina on Saturday with Game 1 between the Ottawa Senators and Carolina Hurricanes.

My Senators vs. Hurricanes Game 1 prediction looks to cash in on two stacked offenses while giving my pick for who will win this Eastern Conference series opener. Puck drop is set for 3 p.m. ET from the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C. (ESPN, Sportsnet), with the Hurricanes a -150 betting favorite to take a 1-0 series lead.

🏒 Senators vs. Hurricanes picks & odds: Game 1

See all of our experts' NHL picks based on the latest NHL odds.

Total wagered: 1.6 units | Max profit: 2.28 units

🏆 Who will win Senators vs. Hurricanes?

I've got the favored Hurricanes taking Game 1 over the Senators 5-3 due to their balanced scoring and overall playoff experience. The Hurricanes are a -170 betting favorite to win the series, and I think Carolina takes its first step toward that with a victory on Saturday. The Hurricanes have won their first-round series opener in five straight postseasons.

Score prediction: Hurricanes 5, Senators 3

💰 Senators vs. Hurricanes prediction & best bet

Over 6 (-105)

I'm confident we will see plenty of goals between two of the NHL's top eight offenses (Hurricanes rank second, Senators rank eighth). Two of their three games in the regular season featured at least seven goals, including a nine-goal barnburner earlier this month.

Carolina and Ottawa finished the season strong as well, ranking No. 1 and 2, respectively, in expected goals percentage over their last 20 games, per MoneyPuck. I'm thrilled with the -105 price tag FanDuel is offering for Over 6, but there's value up to -125.

🔥 Best Senators vs. Hurricanes player prop bet

Seth Jarvis Over 0.5 power-play points (+280)

Seth Jarvis is my favorite player prop target for Game 1 from the Hurricanes' balanced scoring attack, specifically on the man advantage. Jarvis tallied three power-play points in three games versus the Senators and their 29th-ranked penalty kill.

That's a recipe for Jarvis to deliver again on the power play in Game 1, whether that be a goal or an assist. I'm heading to DraftKings to place my wager at +280 odds, but there's value up to +250.

🚀 Senators vs. Hurricanes same-game parlay

I'm backing a 2-leg parlay on the Hurricanes to win a high-scoring game straight up. That's exactly what happened in two of the three Canes/Sens games in the regular season, and I'm betting a half-unit at DraftKings' +225 odds for that to be the outcome in Game 1 of this playoff series.

💡 How I'm betting Senators vs. Hurricanes

Follow all of our NHL analysis and expert predictions this season.

I'm laying off slightly here, with this being Game 1 of a new playoff series. We'll get a much better sense of this matchup after this contest than we could from their head-to-head meetings in the regular season.

But we do have some evidence to go on, primarily that these are two of the league's top goal-scoring teams. That's why Over 6 is my best bet and getting a full-unit wager from me ahead of Saturday's contest.

📊 Live Senators vs. Hurricanes odds: Game 1

The Hurricanes opened as a -170 betting favorite for Game 1, but those odds have since moved to -150 and below. As far as the total is concerned, the best sports betting sites are split between 6 and 6.5, and I could see it being 6.5 across the board by puck drop.

📈 Senators vs. Hurricanes betting trends

🚑 Senators vs. Hurricanes injuries

📺 How to watch Senators vs. Hurricanes: Game 1

• Date: Saturday, April 18
• Puck drop: 3 p.m. ET
• Location: Lenovo Center (Raleigh, N.C.)
• TV: ESPN, Sportsnet
• Streaming: ESPN+, Sportsnet+