Senators-Hurricanes playoff series schedule released

The Ottawa Senators and Carolina Hurricanes start their first-round playoff series on Saturday in Raleigh, N.C., at 3 p.m. ET.

Game 2 stays in North Carolina Monday night before Games 3 and 4 in Ottawa on Thursday night and the afternoon of Saturday, April 25.

The series will be won by the first team to get four wins. If more games are needed, they would be Monday, April 27 in Raleigh, Thursday April 30 in Ottawa and a deciding Game 7 in North Carolina on Saturday, May 2.

Games 2 and 3 will be on CBC TV. Times and channels for the final three games were not announced.

The Senators announced Friday that fans can watch playoff games for free outside the Canadian Tire Centre. Parking will also be free during road games.

The NHL first released the Game 1 schedules for all eight series on Thursday afternoon, then followed up with the rest of the schedule early Friday after the official end of the regular season.

Game 1 in Raleigh, N.C., will be the first game of the 2026 playoffs.

Carolina finished with 113 points in the regular season, first in the Eastern Conference and second only to Colorado in the league. They have made the playoffs eight straight seasons, all without making it to the final.

Ottawa's 99 points put them eighth in the East. They earned two more points than last season, which was their first playoff berth of the decade.

The Senators last won a playoff round in 2017.

Ottawa Senators ready to take on the Carolina Hurricanes