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The Carolina Hurricanes Open Their 8th Straight Trip to the NHL Playoffs Against the Ottawa Senators
Carolina enters the series as a betting favorite after finishing with 113 points and winning two of three regular-season meetings, sportsbooks said.
On Thursday, the National Hockey League announced the Ottawa Senators will open their first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh.
Scheduling the series proved difficult, as league executives negotiated competing requests from Canadian broadcaster Sportsnet and American networks ESPN and TNT, who initially pushed for a later start date.
The late confirmation disrupted travel plans for the Senators, who will practice at the Canadian Tire Centre on Friday before flying to Carolina in the afternoon.
While the two teams are meeting in the postseason for the first time, the Hurricanes enter as favorites after earning a conference-high 113 points this season.
Sportsnet had requested that the Senators and the Montreal Canadiens not play on the same day, a constraint that complicated the broader playoff schedule involving the Edmonton Oilers and other teams.