Ottawa Senators vs. Carolina Hurricanes Game 2 Prediction, NHL Playoff Odds
The Ottawa Senators look to avoid a 2-0 hole in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series on Monday night at Carolina. The Hurricanes are -150 on the NHL odds with a total of 5.5 goals for Game 2.
Senators vs. Hurricanes NHL Betting Odds
After Monday’s Game 2, the series shifts to Ottawa for the next two, starting Thursday. Carolina had the most points in the Eastern Conference during the regular season and looked the part in the 2-0 victory in Game 1 on Saturday. The Hurricanes had been -170 on the series line and the Senators +154. Now, Carolina is -315 and Ottawa +250 – the Hurricanes have won five straight and 11 of their past 12 playoff series when taking a 1-0 lead.
I liked the Canes in six at +425 entering Game 1 and saw nothing to make me change my mind. That is now priced +380 with Carolina in five as the +290 favourite and a sweep at +500. It is the +200 Eastern Conference favourite. Ottawa winning the next four is +1700 and can’t say I recommend that. On the total games line, that it goes six is +210, same price as seven. Carolina’s Logan Stankoven is the new favourite at +450 to be the leading goalscorer in the series.
When trailing a series all-time 1-0, the Senators are 3-12 overall and 1-9 when starting such on the road. The club is an ugly 7-21 all-time in Game 2s, and 4-14 away. When taking a 1-0 lead in franchise history, Carolina is 12-6 in those series and 10-2 when starting at home. In Game 2s, the Hurricanes are 18-18, including a stellar 14-5 on home ice.
Ottawa Senators
Ottawa managed only 22 shots in the 2-0 Game 1 loss, was 0-for-4 on the power play and out-hit 57-39. On the bright side, the Senators were good in the face-off circle in winning 56.4 per cent of draws and killed off all five Carolina power-play chances – including two 5-on-3s.
The Senators appeared to tie the game at 1-1 early in the third on a Drake Batherson goal, but upon review it was disallowed. After a bit of a disappointing regular season, Linus Ullmark was pretty good in the defeat with 27 saves but is now 5-11 with a 3.22 GAA in 17 career playoff games.
Saturday got off to quite a start as for the third time this season, Sens star Brady Tkachuk dropped the gloves out of the opening face-off. The two previous times he did it, both against the Islanders, his team won.
Tyler Kleven missed Game 1 injured and fellow blueliner Artem Zeb left with an issue and didn’t return. If he can’t go, Lassi Thomson might draw into the lineup. Ottawa is 1-4 in its past five road games.
Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina has just been money in series openers in recent years as Saturday’s win was the franchise’s seventh straight Game 1 victory dating to the 2020 Stanley Cup qualifiers. The Hurricanes are only the fifth team in league history with a run of that length. The record is 12 in a row by Montreal from 1951-1962.
Logan Stankoven had a second-period goal for the Hurricanes, and Taylor Hall found the net in the third. Stankoven became the third player in franchise history dating to the Whalers days with three career goals in postseason-opening games.
In a perhaps minor surprise, rookie sensation Brandon Bussi didn’t start in net but wily veteran and former Maple Leaf Frederik Andersen did. The 36-year-old was the No. 1 star with his 22 saves and became the first goaltender in team history with a playoff-opening shutout — and it was only the fourth Game 1 blanking for the Hurricanes.
It was the Dane’s sixth career playoff shutout to move into a tie for the sixth most in NHL history by a goaltender born outside North America. Dominik Hasek holds the mark of 14. Surely Andersen starts again Monday. It appears the Hurricanes got out of the opener with no injuries. They are 6-1 in their past seven at home vs. Ottawa.
