I’ve written about a whole lot of games in my career. Thankfully, though, it’s very rare that I have to do what I have to do now — figure out how being somewhat affected by a truly horrible news story will impact a team.

The Senators were scheduled to play the Bruins on Monday night in Boston. They had finished their morning skate and press commitments, and the players were resting before heading to the arena when the bombs went off. They are all safe and not directly impacted, but they were still in Boston and can’t help but be affected from being in a city that took a body blow like that. Now they have to focus and turn their attention back to the task at hand.

It won’t be easy, but the Senators can’t afford to lose focus. With seven games remaining, they sit in sixth in the Eastern Conference. They sit three points behind the Leafs for fifth but just a point ahead of the Islanders and two points ahead of the Rangers. The Jets are a further two points back and desperate to get into the playoff picture. The Senators need to hold onto their playoff spot, but they also need to finish well so they don’t end up having to face Pittsburgh or Boston in the first round of the playoffs.

Hurricanes at Senators Betting storylines

While this game is a crucial one for the Senators, the same can’t be said for the Hurricanes. All they are playing for now is more balls in the Draft Lottery. With 36 points, they are tied with the Flames for the third worst record in the NHL behind only Florida and Colorado. Of that group of losers, the Hurricanes have been the worst recently — just two wins and a shootout loss in their last 16 games. There are some nice pieces on this team, but right now they are far from a good team. They can’t totally be overlooked, though — their last game was a shocking 4-2 win against Boston on Saturday, so they can sneak up on a team if taken lightly. Still, if Ottawa is focused and ready, they should have no problem coming out on top.

The Senators are a ridiculously streaky team. They either run hot or cold. Starting in the middle of February, they won five then lost six of seven then won six of seven before losing five straight. Now they have won two in a row — both road games played on consecutive nights in Philadelphia and New Jersey. When the team is confident, focused, and in form, they are tough to beat, but they are very fragile. It’s that fragility that makes it hard to trust them here despite their obvious advantage.

The Senators received a big boost in their Friday night game. Left winger Milan Michalek had missed 15 games with a knee injury, but he returned for the game against the Devils. His impact was immediate — he scored one of the two goals in the 2-0 win. He’s a solid offensive player, and that is sorely needed in Ottawa. The Senators rank 23rd in goals scored per game despite getting the second most shots per game, so they lack real scoring touch. Michalek won’t be a difference-maker by himself, but he can provide a bit of relief so the team doesn’t have to just rely on the truly outstanding goaltending they have had this year.

While Carolina has struggled to find wins this year, they have had the number of the Senators. This is the third meeting of the year. The Hurricanes won the first at home, and then they won the second in Ottawa in overtime six days later.

Hurricanes at Senators NHL Odds and Betting Trends

BookMaker has opened Ottawa as a -170 favorite with the Hurricanes coming in at +150, The total has been set at 5.5.

The Hurricanes have won the last four meetings between the teams. All four contests have gone “under” the total. The Senators have won their last five home games against teams with a losing road record. The Hurricanes have lost their last four games played on Tuesday nights.

Hurricanes at Senators Picks and Betting Predictions

The Senators could be attractive, but not at this price. The right play, though, is the under. Ottawa’s goaltending is strong, and their offense isn’t exactly potent right now. If they were scoring well then they could exploit the Hurricanes, but they can’t be trusted. Six goals is too many for these two to overcome, so under 5.5 is a good play.

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Read more articles by Trevor Whenham