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The mystery schedule is finally revealed for the Hurricanes-Senators 1st Round series

After speculation drove hockey fans crazy, the league unveiled the schedule for the opening round, allowing everyone to set their plans for the next few weeks.
ByBen Huffman|
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Apr 5, 2026; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Carolina Hurricanes defenseman K'Andre Miller (19) skates with the puck as Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sandreson (85) gets in position to block in the second period at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images
Apr 5, 2026; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Carolina Hurricanes defenseman K'Andre Miller (19) skates with the puck as Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sandreson (85) gets in position to block in the second period at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images | Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images

For a while, it felt like the playoff schedule was never going to be released in full. In reality, the league was awaiting clarity on the final Western Conference matchups before finally giving the fans what they wanted. Everyone got a slight teaser on Thursday after the league revealed the Game 1 slate for each of the eight series. Now, we fully know what to expect.

In the league's press release on Thursday, they revealed that the Carolina Hurricanes and the Ottawa Senators would open their series on Saturday at 3 pm, the first game of the 2026 postseason league-wide. However, that's all of the information that was provided at the time. There was speculation concerning how the rest would go, though it's speculation no longer.

Game 2 of the series will be on Monday night at the Lenovo Center, but we'll wait until Thursday for Game 3 as the teams shift to Ottawa for the next two games. A Thursday-Saturday slate allows the Canes to be in town for Hockey Night in Canada, though it'll be more like Hockey Afternoon in Canada with the 3 pm start. Those are the only four games that we're guaranteed at the moment.

Should the series need a return trip to Raleigh, that'll come the following Monday. If the series needs to go the distance after playing Game 6 in Ottawa on Thursday, April 30, then Game 7 will be in Raleighwood on Saturday, kicking off May with a winner-take-all contest. Hopefully, the series won't need to make it that far, and the Canes can finish the job before Game 7 becomes necessary.

However, given how tough a matchup this is for the Hurricanes, it wouldn't be the greatest shock in the world if this series needed to go the distance. This is not a cakewalk, even for the top team in the Eastern Conference. The Canes will absolutely have their work cut out for them. It all starts by setting the tone on Saturday afternoon when things finally get rolling on the road to the Stanley Cup.

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