The Ottawa Senators got the kind of opening-night moment teams dream about, and it came from their new captain.
For the 12th straight year, Ottawa scored first in the Battle of Ontario, matching a league record held by the New York Islanders and Boston Bruins. This time, the man finishing the job was Thomas Chabot, just days after being named the 11th captain in Senators history.
With 1:09 left in the first period at Scotiabank Arena, Chabot found the loose puck after Claude Giroux’s redirect created a rebound, then buried it past Sergei Bobrovsky. The play started after a failed breakout pass and ended with Chabot arriving in the right spot at the right time, helped along by sharp touches from Giroux and centreman Shane Pinto.
That goal also put Chabot in some notable company. He became the first Senators captain to open the scoring for the team since Brady Tkachuk did it against the Buffalo Sabres on October 13, 2022.
Before that, Daniel Alfredsson had done it once during his run as captain, on October 3, 2009 at Madison Square Garden. Alfredsson was on hand for this one too, working from the sidelines as an associate coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
There was another layer to the moment for Ottawa, too. With injuries still chewing into the blue line, Chabot’s early impact gave the Senators something they badly needed.
Artem Zub has had a recent setback in his recovery from knee surgery, and Jake Sanderson has been dealing with an injury that appears to be lingering. Sanderson dressed for the game but played only 4:29 in the first period before being ruled out at the start of the second.
That means more will fall on Chabot, especially if those absences continue to pile up. His presence was already a comfort for Ottawa, and the chemistry with Jordan Spence looked like it hadn’t missed a beat after the pair finished last season together in the Senators’ first-round exit to the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Last season, the duo posted a 64.4% expected goals percentage and 3.46 expected goals per 60 minutes as a top pairing.
For Ottawa, this was more than just a first goal. It was a clean little snapshot of where the team wants to go, and who it wants leading the way. Chabot’s first goal as captain gave the Senators an early lift, and maybe even a glimpse of the identity they’re trying to build in Kanata, Ontario.
In Other News...
Senators Statement Win Over Leafs Came With One Immediate Concern
Thomas Chabots first night wearing the captains letter gave the Senators exactly the kind of lift they were looking for in a rivalry game. He scored and added an assist as Ottawa edged the Maple Leafs 3-2, a statement win that offered plenty for the home side to feel good about after a tight, physical meeting with Toronto.
But the celebration came with an immediate concern for Ottawas blue line. Jake Sanderson left early after re-aggravating a lower-body injury, an unwelcome turn in a game that otherwise had the look of an encouraging reset for the Senators. Travis Green was left to sort through both the positives of the performance and the uncertainty surrounding one of his key defensemen. [Read more 🡒]
Jake Sanderson Puts Ottawa Back In A Worrying Injury Spot
Jake Sandersons injury situation has quietly become one of the more uneasy storylines around Ottawa as the season gets rolling. The young defenseman has been managing an undisclosed issue since training camp, which has already affected his preseason work and his availability for the regular season opener, and the Senators have been careful to offer only limited detail on where things stand.
The worry now is less about one missed day than about how often this has interrupted his rhythm. Sanderson has also missed some practices, and Ottawas concern is easy to understand given how central he is to the blue line. For a team that needs its top defenders available early, every absence only makes the outlook a little harder to read. [Read more 🡒]
Jake Sanderson Injury Clouds Senators Season Opener
Jake Sandersons night ended early in Ottawas season opener, a frustrating development for a Senators blue line that has leaned heavily on the 23-year-old since he broke into the league. The defenseman is in the third season of his eight-year contract with the club, and any interruption to his availability matters for a team trying to set a steadier tone from the opening game on.
Sanderson left after an awkward collision along the boards in the first period and the Senators later confirmed he would not return. The sequence offered an immediate jolt to an opener that was already carrying plenty of emotion, and it leaves Ottawa waiting to see how quickly it can get one of its most important young pieces back on the ice. [Read more 🡒]