Bet on Senators as live underdogs against Hurricanes in Wednesday night matchup

Big things are expected from the Ottawa Senators this season. After missing the playoffs for the sixth time in a row in 2022-23, the Sens had a second consecutive busy offseason, adding key players at every position in order to support their emerging core.

With a deep forward group, a blueline that looks like it could be a strength and a stable goaltending situation, there are no more excuses for the Senators. They need to break through in 2023-24 or else people will lose their jobs.

Even with those raised expectations, the Senators still have a bit to go to prove they are among the top teams in the Eastern Conference. That’s why Ottawa is a sizable underdog in its season-opener against the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night.

While there are still some questions surrounding whether or not Ottawa can make the leap, there are very few skeptics of the Hurricanes. Carolina is the consensus betting favorite to win the Stanley Cup and they seem to be the most popular pick among the pundits to win the Eastern Conference. In other words, this is a decent litmus test for the Senators, even if it is just Game 1 of 82.

The Hurricanes made some splashy moves in the offseason bringing in Dmitry Orlov, Michael Bunting and Tony DeAngelo, but Carolina’s identity remains unchanged. The Canes will be relentless team that hounds pucks and fires as much rubber at the net as they can, while playing a tight, physical game in their own zone. You can feel pretty safe in predicting that the Hurricanes will have one of the best shot differentials in the NHL every season and I see no reason why that would change for 2023-24.

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In year’s past the Senators may be susceptible to being overwhelmed by Carolina’s relentless forecheck, but Ottawa’s defense is now well suited to deal with all-action attacks. Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot, Jakob Chychrun and Artem Zub are all more than capable of moving the puck, while third-pair rearguards Travis Hamonic and Erik Brannstrom can hold their own as well.

And even though Carolina projects to have the best blueline in the NHL, the Senators are dynamic enough offensively to give the Canes plenty to think about. Tim Stuzle, Brady Tkachuk, Vladimir Tarasenko and Drake Batherson are more than capable of creating scoring chances against any defense in the circuit.

Carolina has been one of the best 5-on-5 for years, but the Sens held their own at even strength last season and project to be better in 2023-24. If the Senators do take a jump forward this season we won’t see them at these kind of prices very often.

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