The Ottawa Senators turned in their best October in a long time, and the record says plenty: 9-5-1 across 15 games. That pace would have landed them fifth in the Western Conference, but instead they sit third in the Atlantic, with the Florida Panthers one point behind and a game in hand.
The month had its rough patches, though the overall profile still looks strong. Ottawa finished October ranked 18th in goals for per game at 3.13 and 12th in goals against at 3.00, but those numbers have been skewed by a recent stretch in which the Senators scored at least five goals and allowed at least four in four of their last six games.
Brady Tkachuk’s absence has clearly shown up in the underlying numbers. Ottawa is 20th in expected goals, while its shooting percentage sits 10th, a combination that reflects both the missing captain and the team’s ability to finish chances when they do come.
At even strength, though, the Senators have been excellent defensively, ranking sixth in expected goals suppression at 5-on-5. Linus Ullmark’s strong start has helped push Ottawa to fourth in save percentage, even with the backup situation dragging things down.
The power play remains the glaring problem. Ottawa’s man advantage is clicking at just 12.9%, which ranks 30th in the league, and the unit has already allowed four shorthanded goals, including one into an empty net.
It has been a major issue in plenty of games and was a huge factor in the home loss to the Sharks. Jake Sanderson’s return hasn’t changed the production in a meaningful way, though the Senators are generating more than twice as many high-danger chances on net with him on the ice than when he’s on the bench.
The Atlantic has its own power-play problems too, with Buffalo, Tampa Bay, and Montreal all sitting among the bottom nine teams.
The penalty kill has been much more respectable. Ottawa ranks 17th league-wide and has scored a pair of shorthanded goals, plus another that came just after a player left the box. It’s not as dominant as it was late last season, but it’s still a unit that can threaten the other way.
October’s honors start with Drake Batherson, who earns third star. He’s up to 17 points and tied for ninth in the NHL with nine goals.
His production hasn’t depended entirely on Tim Stützle, since he’s been just as effective at 5-on-5 with Stützle as he has without him. He’s also on a 7-game point streak and has five goals in his last four games.
Since Oct. 21, he has the most points in the league tied with Connor McDavid.
Tim Stützle takes second star after piling up 21 points in 15 games. He’s tied for ninth in the NHL in goals, has been outscored at 5-on-5 only by Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Evan Bouchard, and Kirill Kaprizov, and even scored twice off the same opposing power play. He’s also winning 55% of his faceoffs, has drawn four minor penalties while taking just one, and has a chef at home.
The first star belongs to Linus Ullmark, who has been the league’s best goalie in October 2026. He went 7-1-0 with a .945 save percentage, and he posted at least a .926 in all but one of his starts.
The rebound control has been a major part of the turnaround, and he looks much more composed in the crease than he did a year ago. The one remaining question is how many starts he can handle physically.
There’s also a Halloween nod for Samuel Ersson, who gets the “Not So Scary After All” label. His October line - 1-3-1 with an .866 save percentage - doesn’t inspire much confidence, but his first win of the season yesterday offered a better look.
He faced just 23 shots, got strong goal support, saw little in the way of high-danger rush chances against, and stopped all but one. His three-season track record still leaves plenty to prove, but that outing was a step forward for Ottawa’s latest goaltending project.
November figures to be a tougher test. After a softer opening slate, the Senators are heading into a run that includes Buffalo, Utah, Washington, and Colorado in the first two weeks, followed by a difficult road trip through Carolina and both Florida teams later in the month. If Ottawa wants to keep pace or improve on where it stands now, it will need Ullmark back quickly, continued support for Ersson after the San Jose game, and a power play that finally starts to cooperate.
In Other News...
Kirby Dachs Late Scratch Puts Canadiens Fans On Edge Again
The Senators are already dealing with a couple of notable absences up front, with coach Travis Green confirming that Andr Burakovsky and Warren Foegele are expected to miss the next few weeks because of injuries. Ottawa responded by reaching into its depth chart, recalling Philip Tomasino and Xavier Bourgault to help fill the gap, and Tomasino wasted little time making an impression by picking up an assist in the clubs 5-1 win over San Jose.
For a team trying to keep its forward group moving, the timing is far from ideal, but it also gives Ottawa a chance to see what it has in some of its newer options. The recent lineup shuffle has added another layer of intrigue around the Senators, especially with Tomasino already contributing and Bourgault stepping into the conversation as the team navigates a stretch where availability has become just as important as production. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Depth Takes Another Hit At The Worst Possible Time
The Senators depth chart has taken another hit coming out of the West Coast trip, with Warren Foegele and Andre Burakovsky both going down in separate games and leaving Ottawa to reshuffle again. Head coach Travis Green confirmed the injuries are lower-body issues, and both players were hurt in recent matchups, Foegele against the Vegas Golden Knights and Burakovsky against the Los Angeles Kings.
For a team already trying to keep its forward group intact, the timing is especially rough because the absences stretch into the coming weeks rather than a quick reset. Ottawa will turn to Philip Tomasino and Xavier Bourgault to fill the openings, giving the Senators a chance to test more of their depth while waiting for two more pieces of the lineup to work their way back. [Read more 🡒]
Senators May Have Finally Found A Top-Six Fit For Sttzle
With injuries forcing Travis Green to keep reshuffling his top six, Ottawa may have stumbled onto a combination that gives Tim Sttzle a little more support on the wing. Dylan Cozens has been moved into that spot alongside Sttzle and Fabian Zetterlund, and the early returns were encouraging enough to make the setup worth another look. Cozens brought a different look to the line, and the group helped drive offense in a way the Senators have been searching for as they try to settle their forward mix.
Zetterlund, in particular, stands to benefit if this trio sticks together for a while. Ottawa has been looking for more consistency from its scoring groups, and Green has every reason to keep leaning on a line that showed immediate chemistry and produced a goal right away. The bigger question now is whether this is just a useful short-term fix or the kind of top-six fit that can actually hold up once the lineup gets healthier. [Read more 🡒]