Early look The full preview opens on Wednesday 25 November, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Ottawa Senators at Carolina Hurricanes: game preview

Puck drop28 Nov · 7:00 PM ET
VenueLenovo Center
All-time meetings104 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Fourteen points apart last season

Ottawa finished last season 9th in the league on 99 points. Carolina finished 2nd on 113.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 105

Across 104 completed games, Carolina lead the head-to-head 55-40-9.

All-time record55-40-9Carolina's record in the series
Meetings played104This is number 105
2025-26 series—
Last 54-1Carolina
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
25 Apr 2026CAR 4 – OTT 2——CAR
23 Apr 2026CAR 2 – OTT 1——CAR
20 Apr 2026OTT 2 – CAR 3 OT——CAR
18 Apr 2026OTT 0 – CAR 2——CAR
5 Apr 2026CAR 3 – OTT 6——OTT
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateOttawaCarolina
5 Apr 202640-27-10 · 90 pts10th49-22-6 · 104 pts2nd
18 Apr 202644-27-11 · 99 pts9th53-22-7 · 113 pts2nd
20 Apr 202644-27-11 · 99 pts9th53-22-7 · 113 pts2nd
23 Apr 202644-27-11 · 99 pts9th53-22-7 · 113 pts2nd
25 Apr 202644-27-11 · 99 pts9th53-22-7 · 113 pts2nd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 5 Apr 2026, Ottawa were 10th in the league and Carolina 2nd. By 25 Apr 2026 it was 9th and 2nd.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Carolina out-attempted Ottawa 64 to 57

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Ottawa Senators

57 att · 31 on goal · 6 G · 19.4%
Crease10 att · 3 G
Slot24 att · 2 G
Wing11 att · 0 G
Point8 att · 0 G
Neutral zone4 att · 1 G

Carolina Hurricanes

64 att · 28 on goal · 3 G · 10.7%
Crease4 att · 1 G
Slot22 att · 2 G
Wing27 att · 0 G
Point11 att · 0 G
Neutral zone0 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Ottawa and Carolina are level on chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

OttawaCarolina
2.95xG for per game3.74
3.41xG against per game2.21
46.4%xG share62.9%
+1.1FinishingGoals minus expected goals−4.0
+2.2GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−3.2

This season: 3 games for Ottawa, 4 for Carolina. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Ottawa

Small sample
Power play · 2026-277.7%
Power play · 2025-2624.0% · 8th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2776.9%
Penalty kill · 2025-2675.7% · 29th
Faceoffs · 2026-2752.7% · 99/188
Drawn · 2026-2713 (4.33/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2713 (4.33/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Carolina

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2719.0%
Power play · 2025-2624.9% · 4th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2789.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2680.5% · 11th
Faceoffs · 2026-2752.1% · 125/240
Drawn · 2026-2721 (5.25/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2719 (4.75/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
18Tim Stützle33362.00
22Michael Amadio32131.00
19Drake Batherson32131.00
20Sebastian Aho44371.75
53Jackson Blake40330.75
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
72Thomas Chabot31120.67
74Jaccob Slavin40220.50
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 27 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 25 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Ottawa crease

OTT · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 25 Nov

Linus Ullmark.9492 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +3.4
Samuel Ersson.8862 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −0.9

No appearances against Carolina in the last meetings.

Carolina crease

CAR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 25 Nov

Brandon Bussi.8513 GP · 1-1-1 · GSAx −3.7
Pyotr Kochetkov.8891 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +0.5

No appearances against Ottawa in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.4 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

25 Apr 20266 · CAR 4–2 OTT
23 Apr 20263 · CAR 2–1 OTT
20 Apr 20265 · OTT 2–3 CAR
18 Apr 20262 · OTT 0–2 CAR
5 Apr 20269 · CAR 3–6 OTT

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Ottawa3.332.673.393.00
Carolina2.753.003.612.93

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.4Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings5.0Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

8 on the injury lists

Ottawa · injuries

Andre BurakovskyUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct
Artem ZubKneeIRReturn10 Oct
Blake MontgomeryUndisclosedIRReturn8 Oct
Jake SandersonLower BodyOutReturn8 Oct
Kurtis MacDermidUpper BodyIRReturn31 Oct
Linus UllmarkUndisclosedOutReturn8 Oct

Carolina · injuries

Alexander NikishinContract DisputeOutReturn10 Oct
Seth JarvisShoulderIRReturn24 Oct
6 Oct · OTT

Recalled G Marcus Johansson from Belleville (AHL). Assigned D Donovan Sebrango to Belleville.

5 Oct · OTT

Recalled D Donovan Sebrango from Belleville (AHL). Placed LW Andre Burakovsky on injured reserve.

2 Oct · OTT

Loaned D Hoyt Stanley to Belleville (AHL).

30 Sep · CAR

Placed G Cayden Primeau on waivers.

27 Sep · CAR

Placed C Seth Jarvis on the injured non-roster list. Placed LD Juuso Valimaki on waivers.

27 Sep · CAR

Placed C Seth Jarvis on the injured non-roster list. Placed D Juuso Valimaki on waivers.

Injury report
#25Jonas Lagerberg HoenRound 1 · Leksand Jr.RW
#32Jaxon CoverRound 1 · LondonRW
#72Adam NemecRound 3 · SudburyLW
#87Oscar HolmertzRound 3 · Linkoping Jr.C
Full draft
#51William HakanssonRound 2 · LuleaD
#61Wiggo SorenssonRound 2 · Boro/vetlandaC
#68Zachary LansardRound 3 · ReginaRW
#105Michael BerchildRound 4 · Usa U-18LW
Full draft

Updated after every final