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Plus que tout, la présaison est une question de patience.
Bien sûr, c’est le même sport que nous connaissons et aimons.
Mais c’est surtout une série de rappels que le vrai moment approche.
Ce n’est plus très long maintenant.
Les Sénateurs d’Ottawa accueillent les Canadiens de Montréal à Québec mardi soir.
Click to hear from Thomas Chabot, Brady Tkachuk, and Travis Green ahead of the #Sens game against Montreal in Quebec City
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) September 30, 2025
Ottawa’s lineup is a bit of a mixed bag tonight. Top guys like Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stützle have the night off but there are still plenty of NHL bodies up front and on defence. And with just three preseason games to go, you can expect that we’ll get closer to that Opening Night lineup with each game.
Here’s how the Senators are expected to arrange themselves…
Perron-Cozens-Zetterlund
Cousins-Pinto-Amadio
Lycksell-Halliday-Kaliyev
MacEwen-Eller-Hodgson
Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Yakemchuk
Sebrango-Spence
Leevi Merilainen starts and is expected to play full game.
Puck drops just a shade after 7:00 PM. The game is available on TSN5.
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There was a time when a preseason game seemed like an exciting endevour but after that last debacle on Tuesday night, I’ve had enough. But despite frequent calls to NHL HQ, it sounds like they intend to continue with the schedule as planned.
The Ottawa Senators are in St. Louis tonight to take on the Blues.
This is what we’re goin’ with tonight…
Tkachuk-Stützle-Zetterlund
Greig-Halliday-Lycksell
Kaliyev-Jenik-Boucher
Washkurak-Petterson-MacEwen
Sebrango-Spence
Thomson-Yakemchuk
Donovan-Matinpalo
Mads Sogaard seems like the starting goalie, with Leevi Merilainen also on the trip.
Puck drops just after 8:00 PM. No TV coverage so you have a pretty good excuse to make other plans.
GO SENS GO!
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So we’re all in agreement then? The 2025/2026 NHL preseason is completely stricken from the record.
All in favour….Aye.
All opposed……Hearing no oppostion….
Okay, motion passed.
The Ottawa Senators wrap up the preseason on Saturday night in Montreal against the Toilet Seats.
Pictured above – A toilet seat
The lineup is not clear but you can be sure that the Senators will be sending out all of their best face punchers. Montreal will be countering with their terribly-skating face punchers. This should go well.
Puck drop is at 7:08 PM. The game is on TSN5 and TSN2. Which means that by 10:00 PM, this nonsense will be over and done with and we’ll be on to the regular season.
GooOoooOOooooo Sens Go!
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Okay, NOW it’s Game Day.
It has been 161 days since the Sens bowed out in the first round of the NHL playoffs and a little less than that since the fan base gave this team a massive ovation as they left the ice for the last time. And now, in what feels like the blink of an eye, they’re back.
The Ottawa Senators visit the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first game of the 2025/2026 season.
The Senators find themselves in a unique spot heading into the new year. For the first time in what feels like forever, there are real and legitimate expectations around this group. Just about every self-proclaimed expert is putting this Ottawa team in the post-season again and just about any with a brain of some kind recognizes that the Sens could do some damage when they get there. Oh how far we’ve come.
It’s not quite a “run it back” scenario but it’s damn close. After watching this young core take a big ol’ step, Steve Staios and company decided that a little bit of tinkering around the edges was the way to go. He believes in this group. Jordan Spence adds some depth to the blueline, Lars Eller gives them a little veteran experience on that fourth line and Kurtis MacDermid is here to punch the odd face but other than that, it’s a team that will look real familiar.
A few things have to happen to keep this thing rolling in the right direction.
At the top of that list is another big step from the talented young players that broke a long playoff drought last year. Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stützle and Jake Sanderson all need to play like the stars that they are. After that, it’s going to be about a surprisingly deep supporting cast also taking another step. This includes the likes of Fabian Zetterlund and Dylan Cozens, who joined the team at the deadline last year but never really got settled. There’s real talent in goal and on defence and up front as guys like Linus Ullmark, Drake Batherson, Shane Pinto, Ridly Greig, Claude Giroux, David Perron, Thomas Chabot, Tyler Kleven, Nick Jensen and Artem Zub all add a lil something to what has quickly one of the deepest rosters in the Conference.
But that’s on paper.
What we’ll learn pretty quick is just how much the Senators learned from their playoff experience. Just how much it hurt to come up short in the first round. And just how hard they worked to make sure that this year is different. Nothing is guaranteed in professional sports but this certainly seems like a team that can do some real damage this season and if things break the right way, we could be talking about Sens hockey well into May and June. Sure, I’ve said something like this for the better part of two decades here on SensChirp but this year, I look a little less crazy than I usually do.
There are 82 regular season games to play first. And as we’ve learned from previous seasons, a good start is going to be key. Ottawa begins with a tough two-game swing through the state of Florida before returning home for five of six at the Canadian Tire Centre.
The Senators will skate in Tampa Bay before puck drop so we’ll finalize the lineup shortly after that pre-game twirl but right now it looks like no Drake Batherson or Tyler Kleven and Jordan Spence as a healthy scratch. This is how they lined up this morning.
Tkachuk-Stützle-Zetterlund
Perron-Cozens-Amadio
Greig-Pinto-Giroux
Cousins-Eller-Lyksell
Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Jensen
Sebrango-Matinpalo
Linus Ullmark will get the start for the good guys.
Puck drop is scheduled for just a shade after 7:00 PM in Tampa Bay. The game is available on TSN5 and on the radio at TSN1200. If illegal internet streamin’ is more your thing, I have it on good authority that Bort is showing up in the best shape of his life and should have some links to share a little closer to game time.
Hey, you….YA YOU…..can I get a GO SENS GO?
GO SENS GO
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FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-It’s so good to be back. Expectations are high for this year’s edition of the Ottawa Senators and if the season opener is any indication, this group is ready to live up to those expectations. The Sens tumbled into an early hole last night, falling behind 3-1 to one of the league’s best. And then they flicked the switch. The Senators completely dominated the Lightning over the last 40 minutes, turning in what really was a suffocating defensive performance against the high-flying Bolts. Brady Tkachuk has talked a lot about wanting to be a team that can handle advertisty and they certainly looked the part on Opening Night. Just an awesome road win to start the season.
-Shane Pinto is gonna get paaaaaaaaaaid. He’ll earn $5 million this season (with a $3.75 mil cap hit) but if he turns in performances like that regularly this year, he can expect to come close to doubling that cap hit on his next contract. Tying goal on a breakaway, go-ahead goal late in the third period and then an assist on an empty netter that would end up being the game winner. Ottawa’s record when Pinto gets a point is well-documented but last night, Ottawa went to 1-0-0 in games where Shane Pinto completely takes over. Just an incredible way to start the year for a guy hoping to make a push for Team USA’s Olympic roster.
-This is going to be a recurring theme around these parts this season but uh Jake Sanderson is kind of a freak. It took him about 30 seconds to make his first three good plays of the season and he kind of just kept it rolling the whole night. There are just a lot of things that he can do over the course of a hockey game that you maybe take for granted sometimes but that also, nobody else in the league can really do. Just a special hockey player. For example, take a close look at the guy’s skates on that go-ahead goal by Shane Pinto. And with a defender on his back. That’s just not supposed to be possible.
-The Ottawa Senators are already getting some praise for their blueline depth but if that’s the version of Artem Zub we’re gonna get this season, the Sens might actually be right up at the top of the league on the backend. In the second period especially, Zub found a level to his game that I am not sure I or even he knew he existed. It felt like he was everywhere. A seeing eye shot to cut the Tampa Bay lead to one and then a bullet stretch pass to spring Shane Pinto for what was the game-tying goal at the time. He finished the game with 3 points, 5 shots and a baffling 486 shot attempts. Or something like that. A quick reminder that Zuuuuuuub had uh 13 points all of last season. Zub is earning $4.8 mil this season, with a cap hit of $4.6 million, and has one year left on his deal before hitting unrestricted free agency after the 2026/2027 season.
-A lot of talk about the healthy scratch of Jordan Spence last night but it’s easy to see the logic in the move. As Steve Staios mentioned, Spence was definitely a Nick Jensen insurance policy and once he was ready to go, there was suddenly a bit of a log jam back there. It makes sense that Travis Green might want a little more known entity back there with a youngster in Donovan Sebrango, especially on the road. Spence is going to get his chance soon and it will be up to him to take that opportunity and run with it. And with the way injuries can pile up over the course of a long season, a little extra depth back there is a good problem to have.
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There’s an old saying in sports and it goes something like this – “To be the man, you gotta beat the man”.
Pretty sure Ric Flair yelled it at someone back in the 80’s and it just kinda stuck. It makes sense though. If you have designs on being one of the top teams, you have to be able to show that you can beat the top teams in the league. The Senators rallied in Tampa Bay on Thursday night and dominated a team that many have tabbed as the favourites in the Atlantic Division this year. Now they get to take a swing at the defending Stanley Cup Champions.
The Ottawa Senators visit the Florida Panthers on a Saturday night in Sunrise.
Despite being down a couple key players, the Panthers have just kind of picked up where they left off this season. Even without Barkov and Tkachuk, Florida has jumped out to a 2-0-0 record and let it be known that they’ll be a force in the Atlantic again this year. Surprising, I know.
Meanwhile the Senators will be looking to pick up where they left off on Thursday night.
It seems like the Sens plan to go with the same lineup. Both Drake Batherson and Tyler Kleven are close to returning but it may have to wait until the Home Opener. Still a few tickets left for that one by the way if you’re looking to get weird on a Monday afternoon.
Travis Green said “he’s not sure yet” on Batherson specifically. Jordan Spence is also an option to come in on defence but it might be tough to change things after the other night. Kurtis MacDermid was a last minute addition on Thursday and it seems likely they’ll want him in there again versus a tough Florida team. Plenty of punchable faces on that team.
We’ll confirm the arrangement later this morning. And then probably again right before puck drop.
Tkachuk-Stützle-Zetterlund
Perron-Cozens-Amadio
Greig-Pinto-Giroux
Cousins-Eller-MacDermid/Lycksell
Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Jensen
Sebrango-Matinpalo/Spence
Linus Ullmark gets the start in goal.
Game time is scheduled for just a shade after 7:00 PM. Sportsnet One has the TV broadcast and TSN1200 has the radio call. Have it on good authority there will be a handful of illegal internet streams available a little closer to game time.
Zub, Zub, Zuuuuuub, Zub, Zuuub, Zuuuub, Zuuuuuub, Zub, Zub, Zub.
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The nice thing about a Home Opener is nothing that happened before it or after it matters.
Look, I don’t make the rules.
The Ottawa Senators host the Nashville Predators on a Thanksgiving Monday afternoon. You got something better to do? Let’s get weird.
It ended with a humbling but the Sens are coming back from their tough season opening Florida swing with a split and that’s probably right where they wanted to be. They’ll now play five of their next six games in the chaotic confines of the Canadian Tire Centre and hopefully, start banking some early wins.
No morning skate obviously but there are some lineup changes expected ahead of this one. What we know for sure is Tyler Kleven is back, likely in the spot that has been occupied by Donovan Sebrango. Drake Batherson seemed a little less committal on his status, saying maybe today but definitely Wednesday. Like he’s gonna miss the Home Opener though??? Would probably bring Spence in too while we’re at it.
Something like this? We won’t know till closer to game time.
Tkachuk-Stützle-Zetterlund
Perron-Cozens-Amadio
Greig-Pinto-Giroux
Cousins-Eller-MacDermid/Lyksell
Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Jensen
Kleven-Spence/Matinpalo
Linus Ullmark is expected to start.
Puck drop is scheduled for just after 1:00 PM at the CTC. They’re suggesting to be nestled in your seats by about 12:50 PM to catch the pregame ceremony but also they are suggesting there are cheap beers out front. Decision, decisions. The game is probably on TV and on the radio and on shady streaming sites but all you really need to know is it’s HERE IN OTTAWA.
See ya there. Go Sens Go.
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There’s a headline I could do without.
A day after a wildly disappointing Home Opener, the news got a lot worse for the Ottawa Senators. They’re going to be without their Captain for the better part of a month.
When Brady Tkachuk sat out the final ten minutes of Monday’s game against the Nashville Predators, it was clear that he was dealing with something serious. Today we found out just how serious.
Travis Green met with the media this morning and shared that Tkachuk is going to be out for the next four weeks and it could be longer. The team is currently considering whether or not surgery is required, which could impact his return date. If Tkachuk does miss the full four weeks, that would be the next 14 games.
It goes without saying but this has the potential to be a disaster for the Senators. I guess I could have just not said it.
While they do have some recent experience playing without their Captain, including at the end of last season, there is just no replacing a guy like Brady Tkachuk. This is especially true for a team that doesn’t exactly have a ton of forward depth and scoring punch to begin with. It’s gonna have to be a by committee thing for the next four weeks.
No call-ups expected as it sounds like Drake Batherson will be ready to go for Wednesday night.
Meanwhile the Senators have also placed defenceman Donovan Sebrango on waivers. He appeared in the first two games of the season but sat on Monday because of the return of Tyler Kleven. If he clears, and he should, he would likely be assigned to the team in Belleville.
The Senators begin this stretch without Brady Tkachuk tomorrow night in Buffalo.
Yuck.
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So much for a nice and relaxing start to the regular season.
The Ottawa Senators have played just three games, if you can believe it. And in that time they have been the Atlantic Division favourites, roadkill against the defending Champs and then entirely doomed, after losing their Home Opener and their Captain. Seems like the perfect time for a quick trip to Upstate New York.
The Sens visit the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night.
There will be some changes to the lineup with the Captain on the shelf for the next couple months. The good news is even though Tkachuk is out, the top six still gets a bit of a boost in the form of Drake Batherson. Based on the morning skate, it seems like he’s going to start on a line with Dylan Cozens and David Perron. Looks like Travis Green is hoping to balance out those first three forward lines as much as possible but would not be surprised to see them load up that first line at various points during the game depending on how it’s going.
Here’s how the rest of the lineup shakes out.
Amadio-Stützle-Zetterlund
Perron-Cozens-Batherson
Greig-Pinto-Giroux
Cousins-Eller-Lyksell
Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Jensen
Kleven-Spence
No word on a starting goalie just yet.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:08 PM in scenic Buffalo, New York. The game is available on Sportsnet One, TSN1200 and served up by friendly pirates on the information superhighway.
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The Kraken? A Kraken? Krakens?
Either way, the Ottawa Senators are hosting them tonight and on the heels of an ugly loss in Buffalo, the good guys definitely need something positive to happen.
It starts tonight against Seattle.
We’ll assume the same lineup for now but according to Travis Green, there is a chance that the just-recalled Arthur Kaliyev steps in for someone. We’ll find out closer to game time.
Amadio-Stützle-Zetterlund
Perron-Cozens-Batherson
Greig-Pinto-Giroux
Cousins-Eller-Lyksell
Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Jensen
Kleven-Spence
Linus Ullmark starts.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:08 PM. Game is available on TSN5 and on the radio at TSN1200. Streaming hot steams will be served up closer to game time. Or, OR head down to The Tire and watch this thing in real life. The good folks at The Senate Tavern can give ya a lift.
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We’re just five games into the regular season and yet it feels like there has already been a dizzying collection of both highs and lows.
In the beginning, a big ol’ win against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Most recently, another hard fought two points against a previously undefeated Seattle Kraken team. And between that, just a mess of disappointing efforts and bad news. Add it all up and what you get is a 2-3-0 start that is uh fine, I guess.
The Ottawa Senators look to build on Thursday’s dramatic win when they host the New York Islanders on a Saturday afternoon.
No morning skate because of the early start so we’ll have to make an educated guess on today’s lineup. Feels like a “no changes” situation.
Greig-Stützle-Giroux
Perron-Cozens-Batherson
Amadio-Pinto-Zetterlund
Cousins-Eller-Kaliyev
Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Jensen
Kleven-Spence
Linus Ullmark is certainly going to be back between the pipes.
The puck is dropping at 3:08 PM down at The Tire. TSN5 has the television coverage, TSN1200 is going to provide the spoken version of the festivities or you can hop on a school bus full of like-minded individuals leaving from The Senate Tavern and watch this thing in real life.
It’s Oktoberfest at the rink today which has the potential to get pretty, prrrrrrrrretty weird.
Sens!
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Saturday was kind of a disaster. There’s no other way to put it, actually.
The Ottawa Senators did a lot of things well against the New York Islanders but also, kept falling on their face and did so in the most dramatic way possible in the game’s dying minutes. Zero points awarded and just a whole lot of angst for a fan base that is already a wee bit on edge early in the season.
The good news is they have a chance to get right back on the horse, and ideally stay there, with two more home games coming up this week. Up next, Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night.
And with McDavid coming to town, Travis Green has decided to shuffle his forward lines a little bit and in the process, load up the top line as much as the current depth chart allows. Here’s how they lined up at this morning’s practice.
Stützle-Cozens-Batherson
Amadio-Pinto-Giroux
Cousins-Greig-Perron
Kaliyev/MacDermid-Eller-Zetterlund
Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Jensen
Kleven-Spence/Matinpalo
We saw a bit of this on Saturday and it seems like the Head Coach plans to go back there tomorrow. At least to start.
Linus Ullmark is here and over the weekend, he was joined by Mads Sogaard. Levi Merilainen is in Belleville for now with the hopes that he can get his game back on track.
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After taking a big step forward last season, this isn’t exactly the start the Ottawa Senators had drawn up for themselves.
Both expectations and confidence were sky high coming into the season but through the first six games, it’s been a bit of a mixed bag. The wins over Tampa Bay and Seattle were promising but losses to Florida, Nashville, Buffalo and most recently the New York Islanders are cause for concern. Add in a significant injury to one of their most important players and well, it just ain’t it right now.
The Ottawa Senators look to get this thing back on track as Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers roll into town for their only visit of the season.
We’ll confirm this after the morning skate but here’s how the Senators are expected to line up for this one…
Stützle-Cozens-Batherson
Amadio-Pinto-Giroux
Cousins-Greig-Perron
MacDermid-Eller-Zetterlund
Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Jensen
Kleven-Spence
Linus Ullmark gets the start in goal.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:08 PM at the Canadian Tire Centre in beautiful Kanata, Ontario. The game is available on TSN5, Sportsnet West and on the radio at TSN1200 and 94.7. Streams have a way of appearing in the comment section closer to game time.
The HEAD2HEAD table is healthy and ready to go but is being held out of the lineup until the Sens can get that goals against below 5.00 per game and ideally, kill off more than 60% of the penalties they take.
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There were undeniable signs of life from the Sens on Tuesday.
They came up short in overtime but rallying from a couple goals down against a strong Oilers team is definitely something they can build on. They’ll look to do exactly that as they close out this five game homestand against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night.
Here’s how the good guys will arrange themselves for this one. Same lineup as Tuesday night.
Stutzle-Cozens-Batherson
Amadio-Pinto-Giroux
Cousins-Greig-Perron
Lyksell-Eller-Zetterlund
Sanderson-Zub
Chabot-Jensen
Kleven-Matinpalo
Linus Ullmark gets the start in goal.
One roster move of note earlier today as Leevi Merilainen is back with the team and Mads Sogaard has been return to Belleville. Going to be interesting to see how they balance this over the course of the season.
PaV tells me that the game starts at 7:08 PM sharp. The game can be viewed with your eyes on TSN5, heard with your ears on TSN1200 and felt with your soul at the Canadian Tire Centre. Getting there has never been easier thanks to The Senate Tavern shuttle, which despite my best efforts, they will not let me drive. Details below!
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Built off last game, stuck with the game plan and got the win
Good night #Sens fanspic.twitter.com/Apr9xwusRH
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) October 24, 2025
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