RALEIGH, N.C. - The National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes today announced the Carolina Hurricanes’ schedule for the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Hurricanes will face the Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, and the series opens with Game 1 on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Lenovo Center. Tickets are currently still available for the games and can be purchased here.
The series will mark the first meeting between the two teams in the postseason. The Hurricanes earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference with a record of 53-22-7 (113 points). The Senators qualified for the postseason as a wild card, with a record of 44-27-11 (99 points). Carolina is making a franchise record eighth consecutive playoff appearance, dating back to 2019, and is one of five teams in NHL history with a series win in seven consecutive postseasons. The Hurricanes have won 47 playoff games since Rod Brind’Amour became head coach in 2018-19, which ranks third among Eastern Conference teams and fifth in the NHL.
The first-round games will be televised on FanDuel Sports Network and streamed on the FanDuel Sports Network app. On the call for each game will be play-by-play announcer Mike Maniscalco, analyst Tripp Tracy and reporter Hanna Yates. Hurricanes LIVE, the network’s pre- and postgame show, will be hosted by Yates alongside analyst Shane Willis.
Carolina’s complete 2026 First Round schedule is below (games denoted with an * mean if necessary):
