The Ottawa Senators are getting some forward help from Belleville, with Xavier Bourgault and Phil Tomasino both recalled from the AHL as injuries and a looming suspension continue to squeeze the roster.
Tomasino has been Belleville’s most productive skater so far, sitting at 11 points with four goals and seven assists in 10 games. Bourgault is right behind him with nine points, including three goals and six assists. Their arrival comes at a time when Ottawa’s forward group is thin and a back-to-back in California is hanging over the team.
That likely spells a night off for Andre Burakovsky when the Senators meet the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. Burakovsky left Thursday’s game with a lower-body injury after Los Angeles Kings defenceman Mikey Anderson roughed him up in the corner. Coach Travis Green offered no post-game update, and Burakovsky also did not speak after Friday’s optional skate.
Ottawa could also be without Hayden Hodgson for a while after his hit on Kings defenceman Brandt Clarke. Hodgson charged at Clarke and made contact with his head, and the play is under review by the NHL’s department of player safety. Hodgson was expected to have a hearing on Friday, and as the Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Garrioch reported, it was likely by phone, which would point to a suspension of five games or fewer.
The Senators are also still waiting on their top goaltender. Linus Ullmark has not practiced with the club since he suffered a lower-body strain in the third period of Ottawa’s 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers on Oct. 21.
That absence matters even more when you look at how the Senators have defended this season. Ullmark’s NHL-best .945 save percentage has been a huge reason they began the year 7-1-0, and he remains the biggest reason Ottawa is still hanging around a playoff spot. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Senators gave up a league-low 24.4 scoring chances per 60 minutes at all strengths in 2025-26, but through 14 games in 2026-27 that figure has jumped to 29.9, which is 10th-most in the NHL.
Still, the goalies behind Ullmark haven’t been able to stabilize things. Among netminders with at least three starts, Jonas Johansson’s .861 save percentage ranks 55th, while Samuel Ersson’s .849 is 59th. Only three goaltenders - Jordan Binnington (.846), Dustin Wolf (.839) and Kevin Lankinen (.812) - have posted worse numbers.
Johansson is being used as a temporary solution after Leevi Merilainen was claimed by the Vancouver Canucks in September, but the Senators believe Ersson can find his game again. Ottawa signed Ersson to a $4.4 million contract over the summer, even though his save percentage has fallen by an average of 10 points in each of the three seasons after his rookie year with the Philadelphia Flyers. So far, it hasn’t clicked - Ersson is winless at 0-3-1.
In Other News...
Senators Rally Raises A Bigger Question Than The Overtime Loss
The Senators turned what looked like a runaway loss into a wild finish against the Kings, erasing a 5-1 deficit with four unanswered goals in the third period to force overtime. Dylan Cozens and Drake Batherson helped drive the surge, giving Ottawa a burst of life after it had spent much of the night chasing the game, while Corey Perry kept the Kings dangerous on the other side.
Even with the comeback, the 6-5 overtime loss only sharpened the bigger question around Ottawa: how a team can look so buried, then suddenly find that kind of push when the game seems out of reach. Quinton Byfield ended it for Los Angeles in overtime, but the Senators left with a reminder that the fight is there, even if the result still slipped away. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Forward Depth Is Being Tested In A Hurry
The Senators are leaning on their depth chart sooner than planned, with Philip Tomasino and Xavier Bourgault summoned from Belleville after injuries to Warren Foegele and Andre Burakovsky, along with Hayden Hodgsons suspension, thinned the forward group. Both Tomasino and Bourgault have been productive in the AHL this season, and Ottawa is hoping their recent form can carry over as the club tries to keep its lines intact through a sudden wave of absences.
Belleville had to make a move of its own in response, signing Kyle McDonald to a professional tryout contract to help fill the gap left behind. For Ottawa, the bigger question is how long this patchwork arrangement lasts, especially with one injured winger facing a longer absence and another still awaiting a clearer read on the severity of his setback. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Let Ottawa Back In And It Nearly Cost Them
The Senators had the kind of night that can leave a coach shaking his head, because they looked in control early before the game turned sharply in Los Angeles. Ottawa still got three-point efforts from Dylan Cozens, Tim Sttzle and Drake Batherson, but it was not enough to protect a lead that slipped away as the Kings answered with a long run of offense.
Jonas Johanssons night ended after he gave up four goals on 16 shots, and Samuel Ersson had to take over in relief, making 20 saves to finish it out. For Ottawa, the second straight loss was especially frustrating because the scoring was there and the start was there, but the back half of the game left far too much to clean up. [Read more 🡒]