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Brady Tkachuk’s future with the Ottawa Senators is arguably one of the biggest headlines of the 2026 NHL offseason. Tkachuk has two years left on his contract, but the Senators’ struggles in the Stanley Cup playoffs have fueled trade rumors. So, what’s the latest on the 26-year-old’s future in Ottawa?

Tkachuk’s exit meeting with the Senators did not generate “mass panic” or give Ottawa fans any reason to worry about his departure, as reported by Elliotte Freedman on the 32 Thoughts Podcast. Tkachuk publicly expressed his disappointment over trade rumors following the 2025–26 NHL season.

However, what if Tkachuk changes his mind after Ottawa’s offseason moves?

The top landing spots for Brady Tkachuk if he requests a trade this summer

No one has really indicated that Tkachuk will be on his way out of Ottawa this summer. The 26-year-old captain remains committed to the team as rumors regarding his future continue to make headlines. However, if Tkachuk requests a trade which team would be his top landing spot?

The Florida Panthers remain the most obvious landing spot. Brady’s brother Matthew Tkachuk was traded from the Calgary Flames to Florida in 2022. Once he joined the Panthers, Tkachuk took his game to the next level, leading the organization to three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals with two wins.

This is one reason why Tkachuk has been involved in trade rumors. Ottawa is better off than Calgary in 2022; However, many people like to compare the two because they are Canadian teams. There is a public perception among NHL fans that Tkachuk would love to join his brother in Florida.

After all, this is the same situation that Quinn Hughes is navigating right now with the Minnesota Wild. There’s no denying that both brothers Hughes and Tkachuk want to play with each other, but this may not be the right time.

For now, Tkachuk is committed to Ottawa, but if anything changes, Florida could be in first place.

READ MORE: NHL Insider gives big update on Auston Matthews’ future with Toronto Maple Leafs

Austin Konensky is a writer at SportsNut, covering the NHL, MLB, NFL, NBA and more. His work can also…more about Austin Konensky

Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk has been in NHL trade rumors for a while now and it doesn’t seem to be stopping any time soon. Tkachuk’s future is a major topic of conversation after the Carolina Hurricanes defeated Ottawa in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs. Is the 26-year-old leaving Ottawa? An NHL insider has given a big update on the situation.

David Pagnotta would be “a little surprised” if Tkachuk was still a Senator for the 2026-27 NHL season, according to a Hello Hockey insider. Since Ottawa’s captain has a no-movement clause, he would have to approve any trade this summer. This means Tkachuk could essentially make his way to a specific organization.

Tkachuk has two years left on his contract and the easiest connection in a potential trade or future signing is the Florida Panthers. Tkachuk’s brother, Matthew, plays for the Panthers, and would be an excellent addition to the organization. After missing the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Florida could use a boost to its lineup.

However, this specific situation requires both Tkachuk and Ottawa to work together. If the 26-year-old forward does not plan to extend his contract, the Senators will now be incentivized to move him. Ultimately, it depends on whether Tkachuk wants to stay with the organization in the future.

Tkachuk struggled in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, scoring zero points in a four-game sweep. After entering the playoffs with a lot of momentum, Ottawa’s captain did not live up to the standards. Now, Tkachuk’s future could cast a dark cloud over the Senators’ upcoming NHL offseason.

Tkachuk is under contract for two more seasons, but finding a new position moving forward may be best for both parties.

READ MORE: Brady Tkachuk joins surprise NHL team amid trade rumors

Austin Konensky is a writer at SportsNut, covering the NHL, MLB, NFL, NBA and more. His work can also…more about Austin Konensky

There were punches thrown and blood flowing, but at the end of the day, the line of handshakes unfolded like it was the most gentlemanly match of the afternoon – as it always is, as it always should be.

As for the Carolina Hurricanes, they greeted the handshake line with smiles as they were about to come out on top with a 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators. It was only the second time in franchise history that the Hurricanes swept a team in a four-game series, and the first time that they did not hold a lead in any of the games played.

As the game began, the Hurricanes were without one of their best playmakers in Nikolaj Ehlers, who was ruled out with a lower body injury shortly before the game began. With an open spot in the lineup, the Hurricanes chose to employ their grinder and bruiser, Nicolas Deslauriers. Due to his fourth-line placement and frequent use of special teams, he logged only six shifts in 3:09 – but the time he played was very noticeable. He was second in most hits throughout the game with a total of four hits, and managed to block one shot and have one shot on goal in his short time on the ice.

Tyler Kleven’s hit on Alexander Nikishin led to a heated argument throughout the game.

As the game remained scoreless early in the second period, Tyler Kleven laid down a big hit on Alexander Nikishin – a hit that served as the first domino of a long line of heated exchanges throughout the game, but sadly ended Nikishin’s own match.

The Hurricanes on the ice immediately stood up for their teammate, and by the time the puck was dropped again, the Hurricanes were shorthanded. Cleven’s hit was reviewed, but he was not awarded a penalty.

Carolina accumulated a total of 22 penalty minutes throughout the game, giving the Senators nine power plays, including three five-on-three opportunities.

Hurricanes’ secondary scorers, defense come up big again

A little over 15 minutes into the second period, the first goal of the game came from Public Enemy Number One in Ottawa, Ontario, when Taylor Hall found the back of the net. Throughout the game, he was booed from the crowd whenever he touched the puck due to his controversial hit on Jake Sanderson in Game 3, which put the Senators’ top-pairing defenseman in concussion protocol, essentially ending his postseason.

Hall has accounted for each of the Hurricanes’ game-opening goals so far in the postseason.

A few minutes later, Drake Batherson evened the score on the power play.

At 9:10 of the third period, the Hurricanes once again got help from Logan Stankoven, who put the puck in the back of the net on the power play to give Carolina the lead. In doing so, he became the first player in franchise history to start the postseason with a four-game goal streak.

The lead held for the rest of the game, with Sebastian Aho scoring his first empty-netter goal of the game (yes, his first), followed soon after by Dylan Cozens scoring a claw-back goal to bring the game within a goal again, Aho then scored his second empty-netter goal and a 4–2 win.

The defense and penalty killer were excellent throughout the series, and really shined in the Hurricanes’ two games north of the border. In this aspect Saturday was an even bigger story than Thursday, and Jacob Slavin was representing it with great effort. Of the full 13:21 time on the penalty kill, Slavin played an astonishing 10:14. Overall, he played 26:22 and led all Hurricanes skaters in ice time.

storm game notes

The Hurricanes are the first team in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs to punch their ticket to the second round.

In all four games, the Hurricanes never trailed the Senators. They were the first team to do so in a first-round series since the Detroit Red Wings in 2009.

Despite ranking first for most penalties taken (26) so far in the postseason, the Hurricanes allowed only one power play goal in their entire series against the Senators. With a penalty kill percentage of 95.2, only the Boston Bruins have a better penalty kill (100%) due to penalty volume (also 26).

With the conclusion of Carolina’s first-round series, FanDuel Sports Network will no longer be the broadcast home of the Hurricanes, as they will officially cease operations after all first-round games are completed.

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

Just a week ago, the Senators were filled with hope as they entered the first round of their series against the Hurricanes. Fast forward to today, and the senator is on the verge of elimination. After not losing a single game for three games, they will now try to avoid a sweep without their best player. During the third game, Jake Sanderson took a hard hit from Taylor Hall. Hall was given a two-minute penalty. Sanderson left the game, did not return and would not play in the fourth game due to an injury. While winning Game 4 is a must, it is also absolutely essential for the Senators to stand up for Sanderson. Let’s get into the details.

senators are still struggling

Coming into the series, I have come up with five keys that will allow the Senators to pull off the Hurricanes upset. You can read about them in detail here, but here’s a quick recap:

• Rely on last year’s experience
• ulmark
• penalty killing
• Sanderson, Stützle and Tkachuk are leading
• Pinto’s defensive game

Ullmark and the penalty kill have both been very good. Pinto has been like that, as he hasn’t been a standout defensive forward in the series compared to some of the Hurricanes players. As far as relying on last year’s experience, it doesn’t seem like the Sens are overwhelmed, but a year of playoff experience clearly pales in comparison to the Hurricanes, who have made the playoffs eight consecutive years and look like a well-oiled machine after the shift.

The biggest failure in the above five points is the Senators’ star players. To his credit, Sanderson was playing well, especially in game two when he played 43:06 and assisted on both of the Senators’ goals. Of course, he’s out now. The Senators looked much worse without him to end the third game. Now the time has come for other stars to move forward as well.

Stützle and Tkachuk haven’t been very good anywhere. Both of them have been declared redundant. They were both on the ice for two overtime-winning game two by the Canes. Stützle missed his great chance to end that game. Tkachuk missed his perfect chance to tie game three. They both have been part of a miserable power play with no scores on 12 occasions. They will need to lead offensively and physically in game four, especially after what happened with Sanderson.

Breaking down Taylor Hall’s blow to Sanderson

Travis Green clarified his thoughts on the hit that injured Sanderson. He called it “a tremendous blow to the head, one you don’t want to see.”

In the game, Hall had a clear chance at the puck. In fact, he had a better angle to the puck than Sanderson. However, he had no interest in Puck. That’s OK, it’s playoff hockey and playing physical is a big part of any winning strategy. However, it is up to Hall to make sure his physicality is clean. This hit was not clean at all. The direct point of contact was on the head. In fact, the referee’s call on the ice was for an illegal check on the head. Sanderson missed the second half of the third game and will now miss the fourth game due to a cheap shot. Yet somehow, even though the referee saw it as an illegal checking, it was only a two-minute penalty without any supplementary discipline.

Later in the game Brady Tkachuk was initially given a major penalty for a cheap shot on Jordan Martinook. The referee reviewed it and changed it to a two-minute interference call. Maybe the lesson here is to go down in the snow as if you were in excruciating pain like Martinook, unlike Sanderson, who kept trying to battle on.

standing up for sanderson

It is the second time this season that a hit has forced Sanderson to miss time. The first time, it was a hit by Brandon Montour that caused Sanderson to miss 13 games. No one addressed the senators about this that night. Sure, it was a clean hit, but we have seen in the past that players have to answer for clean hits. The Hall hit was not clean at all and needs attention this time. The Senators need to play their most physical game of the season. Brady Tkachuk needs to lead. Through three games, he is tied for 12th in the series with eight hits. By comparison, Dylan Cozens leads the Senators with 14. William Carrier leads the series with 20.

A stage fight is not a good enough answer. We’ve seen a lot from Tkachuk recently. I’m not suggesting a cheap shot at Hall, but he needs to be upset. So to the star players on the Hurricanes. Take a page out of the Florida Panthers book. Matthew Tkachuk is always ready to set the tone physically. When Sebastian Aho delivered a bruising hit to Sam Reinhart in last year’s playoffs, Tkachuk beat out Aho in the next game to make room for Reinhart.

It is not necessary that Brady Tkachuk fill in for Sanderson, although that would be ideal. However, someone needs to move forward. Let’s face it, the Sens are in an impossible situation, down three games to one against a loaded Hurricanes team. Although winning the series may not be possible, the Senators can at least favor their best player. He has tried to make his mark on the basis of hard work and perseverance. This is an important test to show who they really are.

Danny was born and raised in Ottawa and still lives in that city. He has followed… more about Danny McCloskey

On Thursday, in a penalty-filled game, the Carolina Hurricanes took a 3-0 lead in the round one series against the Ottawa Senators with a 2-1 win in Game 3.

Since the puck dropped in Canada’s capital for the first time this postseason, the Hurricanes haven’t let off the gas despite two good games on their home floor. They started things off quickly, as Logan Stankoven found the back of the net just five minutes into the game, while Linus Ullmark had only three shots on net.

The other two goals came in the second period. The first came after an accidental nullification of offsides off the stick of Drake Batherson, as Jordan Martinook moved the puck back into the defensive zone, effectively tying the game. The second – the game-winning goal – came off the stick of Jackson Blake, after Taylor Hall’s effort for the secondary assist, and an incredibly deceptive pass from defenseman K’Andre Miller for the primary assist, while Stankoven created chaos in front of Ullmark’s net – screening him with his own teammates.

However, the story of the night did not lie only in crime. The Hurricanes defense was excellent throughout the game.

In the second period, the Hurricanes took five penalties, and they killed every one of them. Midway through the frame, they trailed five-on-three and, surprisingly, did not allow a single shot.

Jacob Slavin led all players on the ice with four blocks throughout the game, while Sean Walker had three blocks.

Both teams finished the game with accurate penalty kills.

storm notes

In the second period, Taylor Hall drew a two-minute minor penalty for an illegal check to the head of Jake Sanderson. The Senators’ top-pairing defenseman pitched two more innings and later left the game.

In the third period, Brady Tkachuk took a dirty hit on Jordan Martinuk, causing him to bounce his elbow while skating at the blue line. The play resulted in a major penalty review, but it was ultimately reduced to a minor two-minute penalty for interference.

All three games of the first-round series between the Hurricanes and Senators started with a goal by Logan Stankoven and an assist by Hall.

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

There’s no love lost between the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators during the Round One matchup in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and after the events of Game 3, it’s safe to say that the general feeling of dislike has grown even deeper after Jake Sanderson left the game following a check to the head of Taylor Hall.

At exactly 4:24 in the second period of Thursday night’s game in Ottawa, Ontario, Hall was assessed a two-minute minor penalty after an illegal check to the head against Sanderson. The fumble occurred in the Senators’ defensive zone as Hall and Sanderson both went for the loose puck after Nicholas Matinpalo intercepted Logan Stankoven’s pass to Jackson Blake.

A blow to Hall’s shoulder broke the helmet of Sanderson, who stood on his skates and proceeded to punch Hall in the back of the head, as Matinpalo and Ridley approached him with Greg Sanderson following shortly thereafter.

No antitrust penalties were assessed, and Sanderson spent two more shifts on the ice – the last of which lasted 2:44. During those changes, he took a hit on Sebastian Aho, and also blocked a shot from Blake with his hand – which many believed led to his absence for the remainder of the game.

Travis Green confirms Jake Sanderson injury, objects to lack of review

Senators head coach Travis Green, when asked the reason for his leaving the game, responded, “I think it’s pretty obvious why he left the game.” “I can’t understand how a five-minute major wasn’t called for a blow to the head. That’s a tremendous blow to the head; the kind of blow you don’t want to see. I think it’s ridiculous there was no review.

He further pointed to the review called on Brady Tkachuk, who himself gave a dirty hit to Jordan Martinook, although it was reduced to two minutes for interference.

“They call a review on Brady, on a penalty, which I don’t even know what the penalty was, and then they completely miss a review. I mean, I’d be surprised if there isn’t some review from the league on that, and something is done.”

Sanderson’s injury is another major blow to the Senators, who lost their other top-pairing defenseman, Artem Zub, in the first half of Game 1 in Raleigh on Saturday.

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

On Thursday, the Carolina Hurricanes will play their first away game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs as they drop the puck north of the border against the Ottawa Senators.

The game is scheduled for 7:30 pm EDT.

In the previous game, the Hurricanes won over the Senators, but not without a heavy helping of drama. They got the lead in the first period, and then got another goal in the second period as an extension of the penalty kill, but soon after, the Senators tied the game before a scoreless third period of overtime.

Then, the game-winning goal came for Mark Jankowski as there was a delayed penalty in the Hurricanes’ favor.

…Except it didn’t count.

The entry was reviewed for offsides, and they declared that Jordan Staal did not have control of the puck.

Still, the storm’ ‘Rockstar’ Jordan Martinook played the hero in the second overtime as he got the game-winner… and the Hurricanes even changed their victory song for him.

You can read all about it here!

in the crease

For the Hurricanes, it’s a bit of a big question as to who they’ll put in net for Thursday’s game. Frederik Andersen has been great in the series, but after spending nearly five entire frames on the ice in the Hurricanes’ last game, there’s a chance they’ll opt to play Brandon Bussy.

That being said, Anderson had the starter’s crease during practice on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Senators will likely run it back with Linus Ullmark for the first game in their home barn. Like Anderson, Ullmark has also had an amazing series. Additionally, he has received strong support from his glove hand, which was inconsistent at first – getting into rhythm with it at the right time.

Expected Carolina Hurricane Lines

Andrei Svechnikov – Sebastian Aho – Seth Jarvis

Taylor Hall – Logan Stankoven – Jackson Blake

Nikolaj Ehlers – Jordan Staal – Jordan Martinook

William Carrier – Mark Jankowski – Eric Robinson

protect

Jacob Slavin – Jalen Chatfield

K’Andre Miller – Shawn Walker

Shayne Gostisbehere – Alexander Nikishin

goaltender

Frederick Anderson / Brandon Bussey

Expected Ottawa Senators Lines

Brady Tkachuk – Tim Stutzle – Drake Batherson

Ridley Gregg – Dylan Cozens – Claude Giroux

Warren Foegele – Shane Pinto – Michael Amadio

Nick Cousins ​​- Lars Eller – Fabian Zetterlund

protect

Jake Sanderson – Nicholas Matinpalo

Thomas Chabot – Jordan Spence

Dennis Gilbert – Lassie Thomson

goaltender

Linus Ullmark / James Reimer

storm game notes

Jordan Martinook scored the first overtime game-winning goal of his NHL playoff career in Monday night’s double overtime win.

Martinook’s goals were assisted by Nikolaj Ehlers and K’Andre Miller – both of whom were his first points of the postseason in a Hurricanes sweater.

The Hurricanes’ second line has been dominant throughout the series, with Logan Stankoven, Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake leading the team with three points each. Interestingly, Sebastian Aho’s goal in Game 2 was the first goal that did not involve the second line in the series.

The Hurricanes are the first team in NHL history to advance 2–0 in their first playoff series after six consecutive seasons.

how to see

TV: TBS, HBO Max, FDSNO, SN, CBC, TVAS
Radio: 99.9 The Fan

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

It’s not every night you watch double overtime… and see the game-winning goal put away… and fill with joy when you hear Nickelback play, but for the Carolina Hurricanes and their fans, Monday night was the night they defeated the Ottawa Senators 3-2 in a heated contest.

In the first period, the second line – which had been the dominant line in Game 1 – struck first as Logan Stankoven, with assists from both his linemates, Taylor Hall and Jackson Blake, beat Linus Ullmark through the five-hole.

It wasn’t until the second period that more scoring occurred, starting with Sebastian Aho’s spectacular tip-in goal about eight minutes in, with the only assist from Jordan Staal, just seconds after concluding a successful penalty kill.

However, it didn’t take long for the Senators to pull back, as Drake Batherson gave Ottawa its first goal of the series when he provided a rebound off his own intercepted pass to Claude Giroux.

Soon, Dylan Cozens tied the game with a five-hole goal on Frederick Anderson with assists from Ridley Gregg and Jake Sanderson – the latter of whom intercepted a pass from Logan Stankoven.

There was a flurry of crickets on the scoresheet in the third period, although there was notable pushback from the Senators, who outscored the Hurricanes 8–5 in the frame.

After overtime, chances were there on both ends of the ice, but the Hurricanes got lucky late in the frame… or so they thought.

Controversial offside call wipes out Hurricanes overtime game-winner

With just over three minutes remaining, Staal crossed the blue line and passed to Jordan Martinook, who drew a hooking penalty on Warren Foegele as he prepared to launch the puck on net. Anderson made a strong run to the bench after the extra attacker hit the ice for a delayed penalty, and with 2:42 left in the period, Mark Jankowski put it past Ullmark, which was immediately followed by a celebration by the team and fans.

However, this was followed by an official league review. The referees eventually declared after some discussion that the play was offside, ruling that Staal did not have control of the puck when crossing the blueline, and ruled out a goal that Jankowski had scored.

In addition, the referee also announced that Martinook would take a penalty shot instead of a power play.

Intelligently and humorously, Hurricane’s DJ starts blasting rockstar by Nickelback, whom Martinook has often cited as his favorite band, to try and energize him for the shot. However, the twine was never found in the shot.

The game soon went into a second overtime, and with 13:53 remaining, Martinook sealed the deal with a 3–2 victory – the first overtime game-winning goal of his 12-season career. As they celebrated the victory and walked off the ice, their signature victory song, all I do Is Win Not played by DJ Khaled, and instead, he started yelling rockstar For goalscorers.

storm notes

Throughout the game, the Hurricanes managed their minutes remarkably well, with no skater exceeding 35 minutes of ice-time. The Senators were not so lucky, with three defensemen exceeding that number, one of whom, Sanderson, played over 43 minutes.

The gift was a big issue for Storm. Despite having only two more than the Senators, both goals against them came from them. Additionally, sloppy puck management in the offensive zone led to a few more chances than desirable.

The Nickelback connection to Martinook goes a little deeper than just being a favorite band. During their ‘Get Rollin’ tour, they stopped at Coastal Credit Union Music Park in Walnut Creek, Raleigh, on September 14, 2023, where Martinook performed rockstar On stage with him.

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

On Monday, the Carolina Hurricanes will face the Ottawa Senators in Raleigh for Game 2 of a Round One duel.

The game is scheduled for 7:30 pm EDT.

In Game 1, the Hurricanes made a statement with a shutout win – outworking, outhitting, and outshooting the Senators on aggregate. The highlight of the game was not only the excellent work of Frederik Andersen, but also the scoring of the second line secondary, who scored both of the Hurricanes’ goals.

However, for the Senators, they spent half of the game without top-pairing defenseman Artem Zab. Early in the second period, he took a big hit on Seth Jarvis and did not play for the rest of the frame, then was absent from the bench for the third frame. His status for Game 2 remains unclear.

You can read all about the game here!

in the crease

More likely is that both Frederik Andersen and Linus Ullmark will start for their respective teams.

Anderson made a case for the Game 2 start, not only getting the shutout, but also making several big saves throughout the match. He was fast.

Additionally, Ullmark also performed remarkably well. He made 27 saves on 29 shots (16 of those shots were high-danger scoring chances), giving him a satisfactory .931 save percentage.

Expected Carolina Hurricane Lines

Andrei Svechnikov – Sebastian Aho – Seth Jarvis

Taylor Hall – Logan Stankoven – Jackson Blake

Nikolaj Ehlers – Jordan Staal – Jordan Martinook

William Carrier – Mark Jankowski – Eric Robinson

protect

Jacob Slavin – Jalen Chatfield

K’Andre Miller – Shawn Walker

Shayne Gostisbehere – Alexander Nikishin

goaltender

Frederick Anderson / Brandon Bussey

Expected Ottawa Senators Lines

Drake Batherson – Tim Stutzle – Claude Giroux

Brady Tkachuk – Dylan Cozens – Ridley Gregg

Nick Cousins ​​- Shane Pinto – Michael Amadio

Warren Foegele – Lars Eller – Fabian Zetterlund

protect

Jake Sanderson – Artem Zab

Thomas Chabot – Jordan Spence

Dennis Gilbert – Nicholas Matinpalo

goaltender

Linus Ullmark / James Reimer

storm game notes

With Andersen’s Game 1 shutout – the sixth of his NHL playoff career – he is tied for third in terms of most postseason shutouts among active goaltenders, behind only Jonathan Quick and Andrei Vasilevskiy. Additionally, he took sole possession of the second-most postseason shutouts in franchise history with his third on the team, trailing only Cam Ward with four.

After Monday, the Hurricanes will not play again until Thursday.

how to see

TV: ESPN2, FDSNSO, SNE, SNO, SNP, CBC, TVAS
Radio: 99.9 The Fan

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

If there was a textbook way to set the tone for a series, this was the way to do it.

In sixty minutes, the Carolina Hurricanes rang the bell, leading the way with scoring from deep, putting up hits when needed (and even when it didn’t), and earning a shutout in Game 1 of the first round against the Ottawa Senators, as they won 2–0.

Captains Jordan Staal and Brady Tkachuk battle in the opening draw

As soon as the puck dropped, captains Brady Tkachuk and Jordan Staal took off their gloves and began attacking each other.

“I saw some guys out there talking about the draw,” Logan Stankoven said of the moment after the game. “I can’t remember who was furthest down there, but they weren’t really ready to line up for puck drop, so I thought maybe something was going on, and sure… great way to get the crowd involved, and I thought ‘Jordo’ did a great job.”

Head coach Rod Brind’Amour confirmed that he did not see anything between them before puck drop, and did not expect a fight.

To be honest, this moment was less surprising in relation to Tkachuk, but certainly in relation to Staal, who is not known as a fighter.

Both entered the box after three seconds and were given five minutes to fight.

Secondary scoring propels Hurricanes to victory

Ultimately, it wasn’t until the second period before someone came on the board. With a nifty puck flip from the blue line in the crowded area, Alexander Nikishin’s playmaking move immediately found the stick of Taylor Hall, who passed it to Jackson Blake, who then passed it to Stankoven, who sent a wrister past Linus Ullmark – the netminder was getting a piece of it, but not enough to stop it. Nikishin didn’t get any points for it, but he got the game going with the game-winning goal.

In the third frame, the Senators lost their top-pairing defenseman, Artem Zub, who was absent from the bench when the game began.

Early in the period, Drake Batherson tried to put the puck in on the power play, but Frederik Andersen’s glove managed to catch it. Due to the spot where it was covered by the glove, it was called a goal on the ice, and was immediately reviewed to see if it had crossed the goal line. After a few moments, it is removed from the board after it has been proven that it has not been crossed.

Shortly thereafter, the Hurricanes’ second-row trio struck again as Ullmark was left with the puck loose in the crease. There was a momentary chaos as he tried to move the puck over the goal line and eventually, he did. The goal was initially awarded to Stankoven, but after a few minutes it was changed to Hall.

The senators tried to keep the pressure on the stormtroopers, but ultimately did not succeed. Carolina outshot them 57–39, outshot them 29–22 and outshot them 35–23 in all situations. Ottawa led in the faceoff dot with 56.4% of draws, but the Hurricanes managed to keep it from going much further.

storm notes

This marked the first time in Stanley Cup playoff history that the Hurricanes faced the Senators.

In early November, Staal became involved in a fight in defense of Jalen Chatfield, who took an illegal check to the head during a game against the Minnesota Wild. It was the first time in nine seasons that he was in a fight.

With his sixth career NHL postseason shutout, Anderson is tied for third-most postseason shutouts among active goaltenders, behind only Jonathan Quick and Andrei Vasilevskiy.

Both teams were perfect on the penalty kill.

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

We’re just hours away from the start of the Senators’ first round series against the Hurricanes! So, how can the Sens upset the best team in the Eastern Conference? Let’s take a closer look at the five keys to victory for the Ottawa Senators.

Read More: Senators-Hurricanes Playoff Preview

1. Use last year’s experience to your advantage

It is often thought that before you can learn to win, you have to learn to lose. Well, that’s what the senators did last year. They fell 3–0 in the series against the Maple Leafs. It was not lack of effort that cost him. Instead, it felt like they were trying to do too much and failing even in the game’s biggest moments.

The first game was a bad one, with the Leafs scoring three times on six power play opportunities. The second game didn’t start any better, as the Leafs led 2–0 after the first period. Ultimately, the Senators began exploring playoff hockey. Unfortunately, they lost both games two and three in overtime, falling into a hole that was too deep to climb out of. A year later, it would be surprising to see the Senators look so bad to start the series. Not only do they have playoff experience from last year, but many of their best players are coming in with Olympic experience as well.

2. Linus Ullmark From the end of the season, not the beginning

There were two different versions of Linus Ullmark in this season. have a look:

• first 28 starts: 2.95 GAA, .881 SV%, 43% of his starts allowing two or fewer goals
• final 21 start: 2.41 GAA, .904 SV%, allowed two goals or less in 62% of his starts

Since Ullmark’s return from leave of absence, he was second in the league with 14 wins. On paper, he is the best goalkeeper option for any team. The Hurricanes have their own goaltending issues, with Brandon Bussey continuing to struggle. The ulmark does not need to be at the level of your vagina (although it would be nice). He can’t be the goalie that was hindering the Senators’ wins in the first half of the season.

3. Penalty kill from the end of the season, not the beginning

The Senators had two different versions of their penalty kill this season. have a look:

• first 50 games: 71.7%, 43 power play goals against, 3 shorthanded goals
• last 32 games: 83.1%, 14 power play goals against, 5 shorthanded goals

On January 24, the Senators placed Mike Yeo in charge of their penalty kill. That’s when the turnaround happened, where the Senators went from having the second-worst penalty kill in the league to the fifth-best. It’s obvious what changed – the Senators’ goaltending improved, but what was even more serious was how much more aggressive play the Senators played while shorthanded. This not only improved the kill percentage, but on the other hand, offensive chances also became higher.

This will be a big battle in this series which both teams feel they should win. The Hurricanes are fourth in the league at 24.9%. The Senators penalty kill cost them last year’s playoffs, allowing six goals on 17 power plays.

4. Sanderson, Stützle and Tkachuk as the best players in the series

When it comes to any playoff series, it is quite clear that to win, a team needs its star players to play like star players. The Hurricanes have incredible depth and some great players. However, they do not have any true superstars. In last year’s conference finals, Bennett, Barkov and Tkachuk combined to score 21 points for the Panthers, while Jarvis, Aho and Svechnikov only scored 14 points.

Last year against the Maple Leafs, Sanderson, Stützle and Tkachuk all played very well. However, on the other hand, Nylander, Matthews and Marner combined to score 24 points. If the Sens can walk away from this series feeling that there is no doubt that their stars were the best players in the series, they will likely be victorious.

5. Pinto as the best defensive forward in the series

No team can suppress shots like the Hurricanes. Jakob Slavin is considered the best defensive player in hockey. In the Selke’s last two years of voting for top defensive forward, Jordan Staal, Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho have received votes. That includes Jordan Staal’s second-place finish two years ago.

It’s clear the Hurricanes will try to slow down Tim Stuetzle at first. The Senators, on the other hand, will have to slow down a team that has scored 291 goals this season, second-most in the NHL. If this series ends with people praising Jordan Staal’s great defensive play, it doesn’t bode well for the Senators.

However, if it is Shane Pinto who emerges as the best defensive forward in the series, it will be a huge advantage for the Sens. In last year’s playoffs, he was tasked with playing shift after shift against the Matthews-Marner-Nese line. He spent the entire season battling the opposition’s best players. A certain writer believes Pinto deserves Selke votes for his work this season. Now he will have to continue the same game in the playoffs also.

final thoughts

Senators fans should be prepared for a grind-it-out type of series. It’s difficult to get a shot against the Hurricanes, as well as difficult to win, especially in the first round of the playoffs. The Hurricanes are deep, well-trained and experienced. For the Senators to complete the upset, they will need to win most of the key points discussed above. Here’s one last thing worth mentioning before the first game starts this afternoon: The Senators have never won a series after losing two games, losing all ten times this has happened. Translation? The Sens need to steal a game in Carolina.

Danny was born and raised in Ottawa and still lives in that city. He has followed… more about Danny McCloskey

We’re finally there: the postseason. The Carolina Hurricanes will face the Ottawa Senators at home in Raleigh, officially kicking off the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the first game on the NHL’s schedule.

The game is scheduled for 3:00 PM EDT.

During the regular season, the Hurricanes had one of their best seasons ever, reaching second place in franchise history in both wins and points, scoring the most goals in team history, and topping the Eastern Conference for the first time.

Meanwhile, the Senators struggled through the extremely brutal Atlantic Division, and just managed to clinch their spot in the postseason last Saturday, doing so with a win over the New York Islanders, as the Detroit Red Wings lost to the New Jersey Devils.

I recently did an in-depth analysis with several comparisons and statistics between these two teams in a playoff primer. You can read all about it here!

in the crease

During the Hurricanes’ two latest practices, Frederik Andersen had the starter’s crease in both. However, after practice on Friday, head coach Rod Brind’Amour was tight-lipped on who would get the Game 1 start, citing that he had not yet spoken to goaltending coach Paul Schoenfelder.

This season, Frederik Andersen has a 16-14-5 record with a .874 save percentage with a goals-against average of 3.05. Additionally, Brandon Bussey has a .894 save percentage and a 2.47 goals-against average en route to a 31-6-2 record.

Meanwhile, Linus Ullmark has been the number one man in Ottawa since being acquired in the 2024 offseason. It is almost certain he will start against the Hurricanes on Saturday afternoon. This season, he has a 28-12-8 record with a 2.73 goals-against average and a .891 save percentage. Additionally, James Reimer will likely serve as their backup goaltender after posting an .885 save percentage and a 2.42 goals-against average en route to a 7-4-2 record.

Expected Carolina Hurricane Lines

Andrei Svechnikov – Sebastian Aho – Seth Jarvis

Taylor Hall – Logan Stankoven – Jackson Blake

Nikolaj – Ehlers – Jordan Staal – Jordan Martinook

William Carrier – Mark Jankowski – Eric Robinson

protect

Jacob Slavin – Jalen Chatfield

K’Andre Miller – Shawn Walker

Shayne Gostisbehere – Alexander Nikishin

goaltender

Frederick Anderson / Brandon Bussey

Expected Ottawa Senators Lines

Drake Batherson – Tim Stutzle – Claude Giroux

Brady Tkachuk – Dylan Cozens – Ridley Gregg

Nick Cousins ​​- Shane Pinto – Michael Amadio

Warren Foegele – Lars Eller – Fabian Zetterlund

protect

Jake Sanderson – Artem Zab

Thomas Chabot – Jordan Spence

Dennis Gilbert – Nicholas Matinpalo

goaltender

Linus Ullmark / James Reimer

special teams

Carolina Hurricanes power play: 24.9% (4th)
Carolina Hurricanes Penalty Kill: 80.5% (11th)

Ottawa Senators Power Play: 24.0% (8th)
Ottawa Senators Penalty Kill: 75.7% (29th)

storm game notes

The Hurricanes may get help for the postseason from another goaltender in Pyotr Kochetkov, who missed most of the season with an injury that required surgery. After a conditioning stint with the Hurricanes’ AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, he was recalled and initially selected in his 82nd game, but was ultimately held due to a roster issue.

The Wolves are also headed to the playoffs soon after finishing second in the AHL’s Central Division.

This will be the first time since 2006 that the Hurricanes will face a Canadian team in the postseason. Then, it was the Edmonton Oilers, whom they defeated in the Stanley Cup Finals.

how to see

TV: ESPN, FDSNO, SN, Omni, TVAS
Radio: 99.9 The Fan

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

As the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators face each other on Saturday to open the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they will do so after battling similar adversity in the regular season.

Both teams took a long shot chance to play the part and both teams were successful in their goal of finishing the season strong to claim a postseason berth.

The Hurricanes suffered a major loss of goaltender before the season even started.

In Carolina, the season almost broke before it even started.

As the Hurricanes prepared their roster for the season, they faced a problem in net as their third goaltender, Kayden Primeau, had played very well during the preseason. As soon as they placed him on waivers to reassign him to their AHL-affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, they had a feeling he would be claimed. And so, they started looking for another goalkeeper to serve as a safety measure should that happen. (Yes, that happened. The Toronto Maple Leafs claimed him, though the Hurricanes later reunited with Primo when they placed him on waivers.)

Enter Brandon Bussey, the Florida Panthers’ latest depth goaltender, signing after several strong seasons with the Providence Bruins. Having never pitched above the AHL-level in his career, he was placed on waivers and was on the drive to Charlotte, NC to join their affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, when he got the call that the Hurricanes had claimed them.

Making a change in more ways than one, he found himself on the opening night roster due to an injury preventing Pyotr Kochetkov from playing. He took the crease again and again and scored a run that made NHL history as he broke records one after another. Of 39 games played, he won 31 – tied for fourth in the entire league for most wins by a goalkeeper this season.

His consistency in net in the first half of the season, despite Kochetkov’s prolonged absence requiring surgery and Frederik Andersen’s cold streak, was key in giving the Hurricanes a huge boost in the standings.

Senators lose top goaltender, throw dice on aging veteran netminder

Meanwhile, the Senators faced the same dilemma as Carolina, albeit later in the season, during an equally crucial time.

In late December, Linus Ullmark – who has been a vocal advocate for mental health in hockey – took leave due to mental issues he was struggling with. The Senators then hit a skid as the position was given to 23-year-old goaltender Levi Merilainen, with 25-year-old Mads Sogaard supporting him.

Amid a blowout 8–2 loss at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche, the Senators announced that then-37-year-old James Reimer, the former Hurricanes goaltender, had been signed to a professional tryout contract.

Possibly, his signing saved their season.

Reimer brought a calm, seasoned veteran presence to a young goalie team that was shaken up, stopped the bleeding and earned the team a valuable Atlantic Division point in its first game back – and further points in three of the five games played while Ullmark was out. He had a goals against average of 2.42 in his 14 games, achieved a shutout and helped the Senators score 16 points while at the crease.

Since both teams face each other in the first round of the playoffs, only one team advances to the next round, so it cannot be underestimated what the Hurricanes and Senators managed to accomplish despite the obstacles they faced. Only 16 of the league’s 32 teams were able to clinch a spot in the postseason. To be able to come this far while dealing with key absences in something as crucial as goaltending is something to be commended, no matter what team you’re on.

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNote. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

Well friends, it’s official: the Ottawa Senators are headed to the playoffs! On January 24, they finished in last place in the Atlantic Division and second in the Eastern Conference. At the time, the Detroit Red Wings led the Atlantic and were tied for most points in the East. There was a difference of 16 points between the two teams.

Now, with the Sens up by five points on the Wings, Detroit is officially out of the playoffs for the 10th consecutive season. As much as this story is about the Senators’ dominance over the last two and a half months, the Red Wings’ downfall deserves to be discussed as much. Let’s get into the details.

Read more: It’s time for Jordan Spence to extend

Ottawa Senators by the numbers

The Senators’ 4–1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on January 24 left them in sole possession of 15th place in the Eastern Conference. That’s when his season changed. have a look:

• first 51 games: 23-21-7, 3.22 goals/game, 3.39 goals against/game, 22.9 PP%, 71.8 PK%
• last 29 games: 20-6-3, 3.62 goals/game, 2.31 goals against/game, 24.4 PP%, 83.6 PK%

Let’s break down these numbers among all the NHL teams:

• first 51 games: 25th in points %, 12th in goals/game, 28th in goals against/game, 10th in PP%, 31st in PK%.
• last 29 games:T-1st in points %, 4th in goals/game, 1st in goals against/game, 10th in PP%, 5th in PK%.

Obviously, it was a change of the entire team. Sure, his goalscoring and power play were solid in the first 51 games, but those numbers have reached even greater heights since then. Goal prevention is where the Senators have improved even more dramatically. A lot of it has to do with their goal setting. To keep an eye:

• first 51 games: .865 Team SV% (32nd in the NHL)
• last 29 games: .900 Team SV% (7th in the NHL)

The .865 SV% paced the Senators for the lowest team SV% in the NHL since the 1993–94 Ottawa Senators. Keep in mind, that was the Senators’ second year of existence. Individually, Linus Ullmark went from .881 SV% to .904 SV%. They have 14 wins since returning from their leave of absence on January 31 for the league lead.

Detroit Red Wings by the numbers

Now for the fall part of the equation. The Red Wings defeated the Winnipeg Jets 5–1 on January 24 to tie the Carolina Hurricanes for most points in the East. Sure, the Red Wings played an extra game, but they were undoubtedly in a great spot to end their long playoff drought. Well, so much for that! Let’s take a look at the figures:

• first 53 games: 32-16-5, 3.11 goals/game, 2.96 goals against/game, 24.7 PP%, 79.3 PK%
• last 27 games: 9-14-4, 2.59 goals/game, 3.15 goals against/game, 19.7 PP%, 73.5 PK%

And now for a league-wide comparison of those numbers:

• first 53 games: 4th in points %, 17th in goals/game, 13th in goals against/game, 6th in PP%, 18th in PK%.
• last 27 games: 28th in points %, 30th in goals/game, 22nd in goals against/game, 22nd in PP%, 27th in PK%.

This is the exact opposite of the senators. They lagged behind in virtually every category. Clearly they relied too heavily on their power play, which held back just like every other part of their game. The Red Wings didn’t just become a mediocre team, they became one of the worst teams in the NHL. Keep in mind, they were buyers on deadline. Here’s what their deadline acquisition did for them:

• Justin Faulk: 15 games, 4 goals, 6 points, -3, 20:16 time on ice/game
• david perron: 14 games, 2 goals, 2 points, -9, 13:42 ice time/game

The Senators were the ones who traded Perón to the Red Wings. He was replaced by Warren Foegele, who scored 5 goals and 7 points in 19 games with Ottawa. It certainly wasn’t just Faulk and Perron who caused Detroit’s decline. For example, Lucas Raymond had a dramatic fall. He scored 58 points in his first 51 games, but has scored only 18 points in his last 27 games.

defining game

Let’s go back to March 24. The Senators were in Detroit to face a Red Wings team that was one point ahead of them. These were the problems:

• They were playing for the second straight night, having played against the Rangers in New York the night before.
• They were without Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot and Nick Jensen on defense.
• The Red Wings had won all three meetings up to that point in the season.

Any back-to-back is tough, but playing both games on the road in two different cities, as well as missing both Chabot and Sanderson, made this feel like a scheduled defeat for the Senators. Additionally, depth D-men Dennis Gilbert and Lassie Thomson were out, forcing the Sens to call up forwards Jorian Donovan and Carter Yakemchuk to play their first career games.

outcome? The Senators’ incredible 3–2 win moved them ahead of the Red Wings in the standings for the first time since December 5. The Senators never let the Red Wings pass after that. The Red Wings suffered several tough losses in a row to keep them out of the playoffs, but considering the circumstances, this was the worst.

final thoughts

There came a time when it felt like none of the teams fighting for the last few playoff spots in the East were going to lose completely. Of course, the Red Wings were the exception. They lost 8 of their last 11 and 18 of their last 27 and found themselves out of the playoff picture.

Meanwhile, the senators never gave up. They played 20 games without Brady Tkachuk early in the season. He endured nearly 50 games of terrible goaltending. Linus Ullmark took a partial leave of absence during the year. Jake Sanderson missed 13 games. After the Olympic break, they used 12 defensemen. In the end, their resilience has been rewarded with a second consecutive trip to the playoffs.

These two teams have shown a lot of disdain for each other over the past few years as they have tried to work their way back to contender status. Obviously, senators have the upper hand. Meanwhile, the Red Wings must figure out what to do next after a terrible collapse that saw them miss the playoffs once again.

Danny was born and raised in Ottawa and still lives in that city. He has followed… more about Danny McCloskey

The New Jersey Devils (41-36-3, 85 points) will conclude their 2025-26 home game against the Ottawa Senators (43-27-10, 96 points) on Sunday night at the Prudential Centre.

The Senators will make their first trip to Newark a day after clinching a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs with a 3-0 win over the New York Islanders at UBS Arena. Ottawa has won four consecutive games and currently holds the No. 1 Eastern Conference wild-card spot due to a regulation-win tiebreaker against the Boston Bruins.

The Devils won in Detroit on Saturday afternoon and eliminated the Red Wings from playoff contention. New Jersey is 7-4-1 in its last 12 home games but has lost two in a row at the Prudential Center.

What to know vs senator

• The Devils are 20-17-3 at the Prudential Center this season
• Defenseman Jonas Seigenthaler has a team-best three-game point streak (0 goals, 3 assists) entering Sunday’s game
• Devils goaltender Nico Dawes will make his third career start on Sunday against the Senators. He’s 1-1 with a .882 save% and 3.00 GAA in his last two
• Jack Hughes leads the team with 17 goals and 41 points at the Prudential Center, despite missing 11 home games due to injury.
• The Senators qualified for the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2012–13.
• Ottawa forward Claude Giroux has 16 goals and 63 points in 74 career games against the Devils
• Goalie Linus Ullmark is 1-1 with a .915 save% against the Devils this season
• Senators coach Travis Green coached the Devils for 21 games in 2023–24 and compiled an 8–12–1 record after replacing Lindy Ruff.

2025-26 vs. Senators

12/9/25: W 4-3 Canadian Tire Center

1/31/26: L4-1 Canadian Tire Center

4/12/26: 7:00 PM ET Prudential Center

devils vs senators

All-time record: 65-36-5-7

All-time home record: 32-19-2-2

All-time road record: 33-17-3-5

Projected Devils Lineup*

Ahead

Timo Meyer – Nico Hischier – Dawson Mercer

Jasper Bratt – Jack Hughes – Connor Brown

Lenny Haminaho – Cody Glass – Nick Bjugstad

Evgeny Dadonov – Mark McLaughlin – Brian Halonen

defenseman

Jonas Seigenthaler – Dougie Hamilton

Brendan Dillon – Simon Nemec

Dennis Cholowski – Jonathan Kovacevic

goalkeeper

nico doves

jake allen

Projected Senator Lineup*

Ahead

Drake Batherson – Tim Stutzle – Claude Giroux

Brady Tkachuk – Dylan Cozens – Ridley Gregg

Nick Cousins ​​- Shane Pinto – Michael Amadio

Warren Foegele – Lars Eller – Fabian Zetterlund

defenseman

Jake Sanderson – Artem Zab

Thomas Chabot – Jordan Spence

Lassie Thomson – Nicholas Matinpalo

goalkeeper

James Reimer

Linus Ullmark

How to watch the Devils game — (7:00 p.m. ET)

Watch: MSGSN2/ESPN+

radio: devils hockey net

next up

Tuesday, April 14, BOS 7:00 PM ET

Pat Pickens is an award-winning sports writer and author who has covered the NHL since 2013. He reveals more about Pat Pickens.

From time to time, the schedule makers get a team into trouble, so to speak. That’s been the case for the Senators in their last two games. Yes, they come up against two of the best teams in the league, the Hurricanes and Lightning. Fortunately, both of these teams got to travel to Ottawa to play their second game of a back-to-back situation.

To the Senators’ credit, they played both games well. They competed against these strong teams in the beginning and then took advantage of these tired teams late on. They won 6-3 against the Hurricanes on Sunday, and won tonight against the Lightning by a score of 6-2. Let’s get into the details, focusing on the three best Senators who were great tonight.

Read more: It’s time to rally around Brady Tkachuk

Tim Stutzle

Stützle scored a big goal on the power play in the third period to put the Senators up 4-2. He also added two assistants. This was a game when he scored one of his best goals of the season against the Hurricanes on an incredible effort the length of the ice. With three points tonight, Stützle is guaranteed at least one point per game on the season, as he has 82 points after four games played.

jake sanderson

Sanderson scored two spectacular goals tonight, both using his skating ability to force the puck into the net. Keep in mind, Sanderson is a defenseman. This gave Sanderson a career high of 13 goals, surpassing his previous best of 11 goals set last season. He also had 51 points, making it the second consecutive season he has scored more than 50 points. This makes Sanderson the second defenseman in Senators history to score at least 50 points in multiple seasons. Eric Karlsson did this six times.

brady tkachuk

Tkachuk recorded a career-high four assists tonight. This gives Tkachuk six points from his last two matches. This takes Tkachuk to 58 points in 58 games. Tkachuk’s season was ruined early on due to a hand injury, which caused him to miss 20 games. For him to be at a point per game now and reach 60 points despite all the missed time shows you how good he is, and how well he’s been playing in recent weeks.

additional comments

Congratulations to Cam Crotty on his first NHL point. In his four games with the Senators, he has been solid, averaging over 14 minutes of ice-time per game. With two points tonight, Drake Batherson tied his career high of 68 points last season. Jordan Spence played over 22 minutes tonight and scored a nice goal. In my opinion, now is the time to re-sign him. Linus Ullmark had a strong performance tonight, saving 27 shots. To his credit, he has started each of the last five Senators games. Next up for the Sens is a Thursday night game against the Panthers.

Danny was born and raised in Ottawa and still lives in that city. He has followed… more about Danny McCloskey

In last year’s NHL Draft, the Ottawa Senators acquired Jordan Spence from the Los Angeles Kings for a 2025 third-round pick and a 2026 sixth-round pick. At the time, Spence was coming off his second full season in the NHL, scoring 28 points in 79 games as a bottom-pairing defenseman with the Kings. He was entering the second year of a two-year deal, which came with a cap hit of $1.5 million. Now, Spence is reaching the end of his first season with the Senators. The next step for Steve Staios and the organization should be obvious – it’s time to extend Jordan Spence. Let’s get into the details.

Read more: Senators silenced by Wilde

Jordan Spence by the numbers

Spence’s numbers to date are as follows:

• 67 games, 6 goals, 28 points, 18:27 time on ice/game

Spence has hit a career-high in goals, he’s hit a career-high in points, and he’s playing more than ever. This is especially true recently. Here are Spence’s stats since Nick Jensen went out with an injury on March 11:

• 13 games, 2 goals, 9 points, 23:38 time on ice/game

During this time, the Senators have seen 12 different defensemen in their lineup. They were without Chabot and Sanderson for most of the season. Spence has stepped up in the biggest way. On back-to-back nights, he played 26+ minutes as the Senators defeated both the Rangers and Red Wings in low-scoring games. Two days later, he played a career-high 27:48 against the Penguins. However, that career high didn’t last long. Spence played 30:48 minutes against the Sabers this week due to an injury to Kleven.

Misrepresentation of Spence’s game

Let’s say it plainly – the Los Angeles Kings were wrong about Jordan Spence. To add to this, Travis Green was wrong about Spence earlier this season, when Spence was a healthy scratch for the first nine games of the season. Spence was placed in a specific role – small-sized, puck moving, defending from deep. The 5’11”, 188-pound Spence was essentially viewed as good enough to play in the NHL, but not good enough, or big enough, to play big minutes. From the Senators’ perspective, think about how Chris Wideman was used when the Senators made the conference finals in 2016-17.

Early in the season, Spence’s play seemed to be in line with the narrative – he scored five points in his first five games, but he was caught off guard late in a game against the Islanders when Anders Lee scored the game winner. Once he showed that he should be in the lineup in every game, Spence showed that he was by no means a soft player. He fights hard and is willing to play a physical game. This season he has 2.47 hits per 60 minutes. By comparison, Artem Zab is at 2.53. Both players will take hits here and there, but they mainly win through intelligence, hard work, and taking the puck out of the player’s possession.

Spence’s next contract

Spence will be a restricted free agent this summer. I think it will be challenging for both sides to work out a long-term agreement. I hope senators don’t want to settle for a short-term deal. Spence can become an unrestricted free agent in 2028. This leaves a four- or five-year deal as a realistic middle ground.

When Artem Zab signed a four-year extension in December of 2022, it took up 5.51% of the cap space. Zub had averaged just over 20 minutes per game in 142 games with the Senators up to that point. Obviously, this gives him a longer track record as a top four D-man than Spence.

Next year’s projected range will be 5.5% of $5.7 million. That’s a bit much, considering Spence has primarily been a bottom pairing D-man. If the Senators consider Spence as a top four D-man, something like this might make sense:

• 4 years, $20 million total, $5 million per season

senator comparable

Remember when the Senators traded Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks? One contributor to that trade was Dylan DeMello. DeMelo then played really well here for a year and a half, before Pierre Dorion traded him to the Winnipeg Jets. It was during the rebuild that Dorian felt he needed to acquire as many picks as possible. It was quite clear that DeMelo was undervalued at the time. He was traded for only a third-round pick. He played over six seasons with the Jets as a top-four defenseman most of the time.

Around the same time the Senators took the opportunity to draft Artem Zub out of the KHL. Zub, like Spence, was a healthy individual to begin his time with the Senators. Like Spence, he quickly showed that he should not have been a healthy scratch. He is now in his sixth year with the Sens as a top-four D-man.

My point is this. You keep getting gifts from time to time. The Senators were gifted Dylan DeMelo, but then traded him to the Jets for a disappointing return. The Senators were also gifted with Zab, who was completely unknown in the NHL upon his arrival from Russia. Now they have been gifted Jordan Spence, thanks to the LA Kings choosing to sign Cody Ceci to play on their right side.

final thoughts

The trade of Senators Jacob Chykrun for Nick Jensen did not work out, with Jensen falling short this year. They were apparently considering trading for others like McKenzie Weegar and Rasmus Andersson. As it turns out, the top four right-shot D-men they were looking for were right here all along. Jordan Spence has shown himself to be a capable all-round defenseman. He deserves a new contract, and the Senators should be grateful that an offseason trade for a so-called depth D-man worked out so well in their favor.

Danny was born and raised in Ottawa and still lives in that city. He has followed… more about Danny McCloskey

Just 22 hours after the puck drops at the Lenovo Center for an Easter Sunday matchup, the Carolina Hurricanes will face the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. Carolina was the first team to clinch a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference, while the Senators remained in the bottom wild card.

The game is scheduled for 5:00 pm EDT.

In the Hurricanes’ last game, they displayed strong play and physical dominance to defeat a hungry New York Islanders team 4–3. The Islanders, who are in third place in the Metropolitan Division, are just one point ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Philadelphia Flyers.

In the game, Seth Jarvis unloaded a three-point game, including two goals and a shorthanded assist, and almost topped it with a hat trick during an empty net situation, although the puck failed to find the net on both of his attempts. Additionally, Sebastian Aho’s shorthanded goal gave the Hurricanes sole possession of the most shorthanded goals scored across the league, passing the Calgary Flames with his 12th goal.

Meanwhile, Brandon Bussey stood strong at the net, despite long periods between shots. The Hurricanes managed the puck exceptionally well, making 81 shot attempts (40 shots on goal) while allowing only 32 (15 shots on goal).

After the game, head coach Rod Brind’Amour congratulated his group for their strong effort.

“There was a bit of confusion at the last minute, but overall, I can’t say much,” he told the media. “It was pretty impressive considering what was at stake. I thought our guys played how we wanted, and tonight we got what we deserved.”

As for the Senators, their last game was a blowout loss to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. Beaten 4–1, the only Senators player to find twine was Drake Batherson with less than four minutes left in the game.

in the crease

As for the Hurricanes, expect them to turn to Frederik Andersen to provide focus in the crease after Bussey takes up the pipe on Saturday. This season he has a save percentage of .871 with a goals-against average of 3.09 with a 14-13-5 record.

Meanwhile, the Senators have started Linus Ullmark in three consecutive games, but none have been back-to-back. The likely starting goalie will be former Hurricane goaltender James Reimer, who has played in both of the Senators’ games against Carolina this season. His save percentage this season is .882, with a goals-against average of 2.42 with a 6-4-1 record.

Expected Carolina Hurricane Lines

Andrei Svechnikov – Sebastian Aho – Seth Jarvis

Taylor Hall – Logan Stankoven – Jackson Blake

Nikolaj Ehlers – Jordan Staal – Jordan Martinook

William Carrier – Mark Jankowski – Eric Robinson

protect

Jacob Slavin – Jalen Chatfield

K’Andre Miller – Shawn Walker

Shayne Gostisbehere – Alexander Nikishin

goaltender

Frederick Anderson / Brandon Bussey

Expected Ottawa Senators Lines

Fabian Zetterlund – Tim Stützle – Drake Batherson

Brady Tkachuk – Dylan Cozens – Ridley Gregg

Michael Amadio – Shane Pinto – Claude Giroux

Warren Foegele – Lars Eller – Nick Cousins

protect

Jake Sanderson – Artem Zab

Nicholas Matinpalo – Jordan Spence

Lassie Thomson – Cameron Crotty

goaltender

James Reimer/Linus Ullmark

special teams

Carolina Hurricanes Power Play: 24.5% (5th, down one spot from last game)
Carolina Hurricanes Penalty Kill: 80.8% (12th)

Ottawa Senators power play: 22.0% (12th)
Ottawa Senators Penalty Kill: 74.9% (30th)

storm game notes

On Saturday, Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov participated in practice for the first time since undergoing hip surgery midway through the season. He did not take part in the full practice, but did take shots on behalf of the team and then interacted with the media.

With the Hurricanes punching their playoff ticket, the nightly lineup may see changes to rest players and get games for others.

how to see

TV: FanDuel Sports Network South
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 99.9 The Fan

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNut. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

The Senators have to hope they don’t miss the playoffs by a point. In tonight’s overtime, they had one great chance after another, but couldn’t find a way to beat Stuart Skinner. They then led by one goal after the first period in the shootout, but the next two Penguins shooters scored as Stützle and Pinto both missed to end the game 4–3 for the Penguins. Let’s get into the details.

Ullmark shines through Senators’ defensive struggles

This is because the Senators will have a tough time without guys like Sanderson, Chabot and Jensen in their lineup. Tonight, he gave up 38 shots, the most he has given up all season. The second period was particularly difficult, with the Sens falling 16–6. That period ended with Ullmark making some big saves to keep the game tied. He kept the Sens in this game with several great saves, including a breakaway toe save in overtime.

It’s clear that Travis Green doesn’t trust Donovan right now. He played just 9:22 tonight. Yakemchuk was used a good amount tonight, playing 17:42 minutes and once again showing himself to be a threat offensively. Nonetheless, the quartet of Kleven, Zub, Spence and Matinpalo have worked extensively. Kleven, in particular, has seen his workload increase dramatically. He played 27 minutes tonight after playing a career-high 28:11 games in the previous game. With the news that Thomas Chabot is out for the next 4-8 weeks with his arm injury, Jake Sanderson may not be back soon.

Batherson scored twice again

From a goal total perspective, here are Batherson’s last 14 games:

• 2, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 2, 0, 2, 0, 0, 0, 2, 2

He doesn’t just score one goal in a game! His two goals tonight give him 29 points on the season, a new career high. He will need five points in the final 10 games to equal his career-high of 68 points last season.

additional comments

I’ve seen Eric Carlson put on a show like Tonight many times. However, it’s not as much fun when it’s against the Senators. Karlsson is the main reason the Penguins remained in the playoffs last month. He has scored 21 points in the month of March. Only Nikita Kucherov has more than 25. Nice to see Brady Tkachuk deliver some big hits tonight. He finished the game with six hits overall, equaling his season high. After a brutal stretch in which the Senators played six games in nine days, including two back-to-back situations, the Senators finally got some rest. Like. He will be off for two days before playing in Tampa Bay against the Lightning on Saturday.

Danny was born and raised in Ottawa and still lives in that city. He has followed… more about Danny McCloskey

In a game that the Senators could not afford to lose, they managed a 2–1 win over the New York Rangers. However, along the way, they lost two more defenders, including Thomas Chabot. Let’s get into the details.

The senators’ defense became even weaker

It’s time for a very fun recap. On March 7, Jake Sanderson was injured and has not yet returned. After two games, Nick Jensen was injured and was lost for the remainder of the season. Dennis Gilbert suffered an injury in the Senators’ last game, which will keep him out for some time. Tonight, Thomas Chabot left the game at the end of the first period after taking a crosscheck by JT Miller to the wrist area. Later, Lassie Thomson left the game in the second game due to injury.

The Senators played the second half of the game with only four defensemen. Their only left shot was D-man Tyler Kleven. It was Kleven who had to kill a full two minutes of penalties in the third period tonight due to injuries, as well as Jubb in the box.

As far as who’s name will be called next, the obvious answer is Carter Yakemchuk. He has had a great rookie season in the AHL with 10 goals and 36 points in 50 games. Of course, he shoots right-handed. The left shot D-man who will likely be the next call up is Jorian Donovan. Wouldn’t you know it, he’s hurt right now.

Stellar defensive play

The four remaining defensemen deserve all the credit in the world. Here they are by numbers:

• spence: 1 assist, 4 shots, 2 blocked shots, 26:44 time on ice
• cleven: 6 shots, 2 hits, 24:01 time on ice
• when: 2 blocked shots, 23:15 of time on ice
• mat fire: 5 blocked shots, 2 hits, 18:19 time on ice

Of course, the forwards also deserve a lot of credit, as the entire team supported such strong defensive play. Best position of the night? The Senators only gave up 9 shots.

additional comments

In general, Igor Shesterkin is a great goalkeeper. Against senators? He became the top Dominic Hasek! Coming into tonight, he was 6-1-2 with a .938 SV% and two shutouts. Tonight, he was the only reason the Rangers stayed in this game, saving 31 of the 33 shots he faced, including a number of tight saves. Warren Foegele with the Kings this season: 7 goals in 47 games. Foegele with the Senators: 5 goals in 9 games. What a wonderful contribution that has been. Now, the Senators must head straight to Detroit to play their biggest game of the year while remaining shorthanded. no pressure!

Danny was born and raised in Ottawa and still lives in that city. He has followed… more about Danny McCloskey

Talk about an impressive performance. The Senators controlled tonight’s game against the Maple Leafs from start to finish. There was a short burst of energy from the Leafs to end the second and start the third, but other than that, it was all Senators. For the third consecutive time this season, he managed to score five goals against the Leafs. The last two have been 5-2 wins. Let’s get into the details.

READ MORE: Checking out Senators’ top prospect Carter Yakemchuk

shot dominance by senators

The Senators won the shot battle in all three periods tonight. The first period was the closest at 9-6. There was no competition in the next two periods. The Senators outscored the Maple Leafs 19–5 in the second and 15–3 in the third. Add it all up and the final shot count was 43 for the Sens, 14 for the Leafs.

It wasn’t just the number of shots, the Sens dominated the Leafs the entire game. Ridley Gregg had a goal called back due to a high stick. The Sens had another finish in net that was ruled out for Tim Stützle’s goalie interference penalty. Michael Amadio hit a post, Brady Tkachuk missed a partially empty net high, the list goes on. The Sens also seemed to be strategic with their shots – three times he hit Leafs goaltender Josef Woll straight in the head.

Claude Giroux’s big game

After the Senators beat the Ducks 2-0 last weekend, I mentioned that Giroux was out cold. He then picked up an assist the next night against the Sharks, followed by another assist against the Capitals in the next game. After being held off the scoresheet in the last game, Giroux was able to end his 13 game goalless drought tonight.

It’s clear that Giroux’s usage is decreasing as the year goes on. He has averaged only 13:55 per game in the month of March. However, he still has the smarts and competitive edge to make a difference. Tonight, to lead the way with goals, he had seven shots, two hits, added two takeaways and won 75% of his faceoffs.

additional comments

The only two Senators to score multiple points tonight were both defensemen – Tyler Kleven and Jordan Spence, who each had two assists. How about Warren Foegele with his third goal and fourth point in the last four games. Talk about how to fit in well with their new team. Michael Amadio is a very hard-working, strong defensive player. As far as his weaknesses go, he doesn’t have the best finish. They missed some great chances tonight but managed to score a big one in the third half to make the score 4-2. Next up for the Sens is a road game against the Rangers on Monday.

Danny was born and raised in Ottawa and still lives in that city. He has followed… more about Danny McCloskey

The Washington Capitals (34-27-8) got a much-needed win at home on Wednesday night. They looked strong on the ice in a 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators (34-24-9).

Wednesday’s game marked the debut of Capitals defenseman Cole Hutson. He made quite an impact as he skated well and recorded an empty-net goal late on.

Alex Ovechkin also made more history when he scored the Capitals’ first goal of the night. The Great 8 tied Gordie Howe for the most 25-goal seasons in NHL history.

After this, Tom Wilson scored an own goal to give the Capitals a 2-0 lead in the middle frame. Logan Thompson also had an impressive performance in the net.

Ottawa scored late in the comeback attempt. However, the Capitals sealed it with two empty-netters from Aleksi Protas and Hutson.

Capitals got two points as they now have 76 points in the season. They are currently six points behind Boston and Detroit, who hold the two wild card spots in the East.

Next, the Capitals continue their four-game homestand by hosting New Jersey on Friday night.

capitals analysis

All eyes were on Hutson as he made his NHL debut for the Capitals. The 19-year-old was paired with Matt Roy for Wednesday’s home game.

It proved to be an impressive debut for Hutson, as he looked more comfortable as the game progressed. The rookie skated well, took good care of the puck and found his teammates at the tape.

Then, after Ottawa’s goaltender drew a late power play, Hutson recorded his first NHL goal on an empty-netter. He finished the game with one tally and three shots during 16:24 of ice time.

The Capitals outshot Ottawa 16–7 in the middle frame and the game remained scoreless. That is, Ovechkin came out of his mini-slump.

The 40-year-old redirected Rasmus Sandin’s feed past Linus Ullmark to put the Capitals up 1-0. It was Ovechkin’s 25th goal of the season and career goal No. 922.

More importantly, The Great 8 made more history as he tied Gordie Howe for the most 25-goal seasons in NHL history. Ovechkin is also one point away from 1,000 combined regular season and playoff goals.

After this, Wilson reached the bottom of the circle and made a shot on Ullmark to make the score 2-0. The 31-year-old was also very physical as he helped his team by being aggressive on the forecheck.

Wilson’s Team Canada teammate Thompson was also dominant between the pipes. He stopped 34 of 35 shots and shut out Brady Tkachuk and Ottawa most of the time.

Despite still trailing 2–0, the Senators came up with six strikeouts as Tim Stützle finished Thompson’s shutout night. However, Capitals sealed it with two empty-netters from Protas and Hutson.

capitals report card

Team: A-

One of the team’s strongest performances in recent times. The Capitals have kept their playoff hopes alive for now.

Cole Hutson: A

Hutson’s NHL debut was impressive. The 19-year-old skated well and finished with a goal and three shots during 16:24 of ice time.

Alex Ovechkin: A

Ovechkin recovered from the slump to record goal No. 922. The 40-year-old continues to make history as many question whether this is his last season.

Tom Wilson: A

Wilson contributed to the Capitals’ victory with Ovechkin scoring 25 goals on the season. The 31-year-old also showed his trademark physicality against Ottawa when needed.

Logan Thompson: A

Thompson took a big step in net with 34 saves. The netminder made several acrobatic saves to stop Ottawa’s attack.

Martin Fehrvary: B+

Fehrweri did his part to defend Thompson by bailing him out. He finished the game with six of the Capitals’ 21 blocks.

Harry Lichtman is an award-winning journalist who covers the Washington Capitals for SportsNut. He also contributes to the sites… More about Harry Lichtman

With the Senators off tonight, now is a good time to take a look at the world of Senators prospects. Today’s focus will be on one possibility in particular. In fact, he’s their best prospect. Let’s take a closer look at what’s going on with Carter Yakemchuk.

READ MORE: Senators score seven points to beat Sharks

Basics about Carter Yakemchuk

Yakemchuk is a 6’3″, 219 pound, right shot defenseman. The Senators drafted him 7th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft. Yakemchuk played four consecutive seasons in the WHL for the Calgary Hitmen before joining the AHL this year.

Here were my pre-draft notes on Yekemchuk, which still more or less remain my thoughts on him:

Pros:The stats jump off the page – 30 goals, 71 points, 120 PIMS, 275 shots. Plays a very physical, cheap, dirty game. Ready to fight. great shot. Great hands – can hang legitimately.

Shortcoming:The first few steps are slow. Questionable defensive play – Appears to lack urgency in his own zone at times, sometimes tries to do too much with the puck or make special plays.

ground level:Playing on such a bad team, they asked him to do everything, so I’m choosing to believe that some of his defensive lapses are because of that. He’s huge, he’s low, he’s got great hands. He fits into any team’s blueline, as long as he can find the defensive side.

Carter Yakemchuk by the numbers

Yakemchuk’s statistics with the Belleville Senators this season are as follows:

• 47 games, 9 goals, 35 points, 26 PIM

Yakemchuk was recently named AHL Player of the Week. He recorded six assists in two games. In the game before that, he scored a goal and also added an assist.

Among AHL defensemen, Yakemchuk is ninth in both goals and points. Among AHL rookies, he ranks seventh in points. The downside is that his -29 is worst in the AHL.

final thoughts

When you look at how Yakemchuk records his points, this is not a quiet, secondary assist-getting player. He has great plays to set up his teammates. From a shooting perspective, he can absolutely shred the puck. At the beginning of the year, his production was primarily on the power play – through his first 27 games, he scored 18 points. 12 of them were accompanied by additional men. Since then he has scored 17 points in his last 20 games. Only three of them have come in the power play.

Given his size and style of play, I have no doubts about his ability to stick around physically. I’m sure as he gets more comfortable, there will be more toughness at the professional level. The question is, can he skate and defend well at the next level? It is unlikely that Yakemchuk will get his NHL opportunity this season. Next season, however, there is a good chance that Nick Jensen is no longer with the team. This opens up a space on the right side. It is up to Yakemchuk to not only finish this season strong, but prove early next year that he is a better skater and defensive player to earn his chance as a full-time NHL player.

Patience will always be necessary with Yakemchuk. Considering how strong their defensive depth is at the moment, what a luxury it is for the Senators to not have to rush their top prospect into the NHL. Brent Burns makes a good comparison. Burns didn’t become a top-four D-man until he was 22. Yakemchuk is just 20 years old.

Danny was born and raised in Ottawa and still lives in that city. He has followed… more about Danny McCloskey

The Senators capped off a great weekend today with a 7-4 win over the San Jose Sharks. Talk about a completely different type of game than yesterday where the Sens were able to defeat the Anaheim Ducks 2-0. Today, they had to come from behind three separate times and fell behind in the third as the teams scored a combined 11 goals. Let’s get into the details.

Zetterlund’s strong performance

Two things may be true. On one hand, it’s disappointing that Zetterlund has primarily been a fourth-line player for the Senators. On the other hand, it shows how deep the senators are. Today, Zetterlund and the fourth line came up big, with Zetterlund scoring one goal, assisting on another, and recording five hits. His linemate Warren Foegele also scored a goal and an assist. They are players who have primarily been middle six players before arriving in Ottawa. It is a luxury to have them as the Senators’ fourth line wingers.

batherson stays warm

This is the strangest two-goal game of Batherson’s career. The first was on a pass that Sharks D-man Mario Ferraro put into his own net. The second hit Batherson’s shoulder as the shot looked to go wide. He finished as the game winner. This gives Batherson 27 goals, one of the highest goals of his career in 2023-24. In their last eight matches, Batherson has scored two goals four times.

additional comments

A quick note on the Sharks – they seem to have a lot of players with 70s jersey numbers. How often will you see this kind of offensive play where Stützle is kept off the scoresheet? He had a breakaway chance at the end of the second minute but could not beat Laurent Brossoit. Here are the other senators who scored double digits today: Brady Tkachuk, Artem Jubb and Michael Amadio. The Senators gave up 13 first period shots. Then again, they’ve only given up 10 over the last two periods combined. Next up for the Sens is a road game against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.

Danny was born and raised in Ottawa and still lives in that city. He has followed… more about Danny McCloskey

The National Hockey League has announced amendments to the disciplinary sanctions previously imposed on the Ottawa Senators related to their involvement in the July 2021 trade with the Vegas Golden Knights of forward Evgeni Dadonov (now with the New Jersey Devils), as well as a March 2022 trade attempt by the Golden Knights with the Anaheim Ducks, which was voided by the league.

basic penalty

Issues dealing with Dadonov’s no-trade clause resulted in the Senators originally being required to forfeit their first-round draft pick in either the 2024, 2025, or 2026 NHL Entry Draft, which contributed to the subsequent trade being invalidated.

reconsideration and revision

Senators requested reconsideration of the fine, primarily citing changes in franchise ownership and operational oversight since the original incident, arguing that the initial sanction is inappropriate under the current circumstances. After a thorough review, the NHL determined that a modification was necessary.

Revised Approval Details

• The Senators will lose their natural first-round selection in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft (determined by lottery results and/or regular season standings, if they miss the playoffs).
• In exchange for their original position the club will select 32nd overall (last pick of the first round) in the 2026 draft.
• The Senators are prohibited from trading or moving this 32nd overall selection.
• Additionally, the club must pay $1 million (CDN) Good.

To implement this change:

• All other teams that originally finished behind the Senators in the first round will move up one spot in the draft order.
• Regarding the 2026 draft lottery (if the Senators miss the playoffs): The team retains its standard odds based on regular season performance but is ineligible to win the lottery. Any draw combination assigned to Ottawa will start the draw again, ensuring an equal increase in lottery winning chances for all other non-playoff clubs.

great allocation

The $1 million fine will be directed to the NHL Foundation Canada, a league-supported charitable organization dedicated to strengthening Canadian communities and improving lives through hockey by promoting access and positive experiences on and off the ice.

The NHL said it would not provide any further comment on the matter. This resolution reflects the League’s view of the evolving circumstances while maintaining accountability for the original violation.

Dadonov plays for the Devils in 2025-26, and has no points in 18 games.

James is the fully certified New Jersey Devils beat reporter for New Jersey Hockey Now on SportsNote and … More about James Nicholls

Another day, another loss for the Vancouver Canucks. On Monday night at Rogers Arena, the Ottawa Senators won 2-0, and the score faithfully reflected the flow of the game.

At 10:11 of the second period, Artem Zub’s shot from the point hit Shane Pinto high, and the puck fell into open space, where Ridley Gregg collected it alone in the slot before switching from backhand to forehand and beating Kevin Lankinen.

Vancouver challenged, arguing that the puck was played with a hand, but review ruled it a deflection rather than a hand pass, so the goal stood.

Brady Tkachuk later sealed it with an empty-net goal late in the third minute.

According to NHL.com, the big story for the Senators is momentum. The Senators extended their point streak to seven games, ending the five-game trip at 4–0–1, and got another point from Tim Stützle, who extended his scoring run to 13 games.

The Senators have now gone 5-0-2 over the seven-game span, which says a lot more about where this team is going than where the Canucks are stuck.

Reimer takes charge

James Reimer stopped all 16 shots he faced, and when you add in the fact that the Senators’ formation stuck all night, even with top defenseman Jake Sanderson out of the lineup, it’s an even more disappointing story for the Canucks.

Adding fuel to the fire was the fact that Reimer was making his first start since Feb. 5, which highlighted the shutout even more. It was his 1st shutout of the season and the 32nd of his NHL career.

I’ve watched enough Canucks hockey over the years to know when the night is starting to wear thin, and this time it was starting to show quite early.

The Canucks never applied much pressure, never forced the Senators into long, ugly defensive turnovers and finished the third period with only three shots on goal. That included two power plays without a single shot, which is the kind of detail that tells the story better than any disappointed postgame quote.

What keeps going wrong?

Reuters reported that the Canucks have now lost five straight at home, and the numbers surrounding this slump are hard to ignore.

The Canucks have won just one in their last 10 games, and it was the ninth time this season they have been held to under 20 shots.

Lankinen did what he could with 22 saves, and CBS coverage found that he at least kept the game within reach long enough for a push that never really came.

For the Canucks, it was another reminder that good goaltending isn’t enough when the offense is quiet for long periods of time.

The Canucks will play the Nashville Predators on Thursday, while the Senators go home to face the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday, with real playoff life still ahead of them.

There were a lot of good things for the Senators in tonight’s game, but they were all overshadowed by the bad. It’s hard to know how bad it is right now. During the second period, Jake Sanderson was hit by Brandon Montour. He left the game with a sprained right shoulder and did not return. Time will tell what the diagnosis is. For now, let’s look at the details of the Senators’ 7-4 win over the Seattle Kraken.

READ MORE: Analyzing the Senators trade deadline

Foegele’s first term as senator

What do you think of Warren Foegele’s senatorial debut? Having been traded to Ottawa by the Kings just days earlier, Foegele scored the fifth goal of the game for the Senators. He played on the fourth line with Eller and Zetterlund, playing at full strength, averaging only less than 12 minutes of ice time. As advertised, he came in playing a responsible two-way game while also doing some heavy fore-checking.

pinto’s big night

Pinto’s final scores tonight were:

• 1 goal, 2 assists, 4 PIM, 17:26 time on ice

The penalty minutes are a little strange from Pinto, but the production is exactly what the Senators need from their two-way center. Pinto is always asked to do the heavy lifting defensively, whether it’s killing penalties or attacking the opposition’s best line. However, his offense has not been as consistent. Tonight is his first multi-point game since January 1st. It was his first three-point game since the start of the season.

additional comments

Tim Stützle extended his point streak to 12 games, while also scoring 30 goals for the second time in his career. Now let’s see if he can score 40 runs. Tyler Kleven has the ability to land a big hit after one of his players gets hit hard. Cleven pounced on Jordan Eberle shortly after Sanderson left the game. Kleven also scored a goal in this game. His cross-check on Jared McCann late in the game was not as good. He ended up with a five-minute major and a game misconduct. Let’s hope he doesn’t have to face suspension there. Let’s also hope that the upcoming Jake Sanderson update is a positive one.

Danny was born and raised in Ottawa and still lives in that city. He has followed… more about Danny McCloskey

Trading time is over! With the NHL trade deadline approaching, the Ottawa Senators are set to play their final 21 games with a slightly adjusted roster. Inside is Warren Foegele, outside is David Perron. Since the Sens are currently four points out of a playoff spot, did they do enough? Let’s get into the details.

A look at two trades

For a full analysis of the two Senators trades, you can see here and here. These are the basics:

• In: Warren Foegele, conditional 2026 third-round pick, conditional 2026 fourth-round pick
• OUT: David Perron, 2026 second-round pick, conditional 2026 third-round pick

To simplify, the Senators went with some of their picks in the draft in exchange for an upgrade on Perron, signing Foegele for next season. With Perron out with injuries, adding a healthy winger to play the final quarter of the season would help with a playoff push. Of course, for Foegele to upgrade, he needs to return to last year’s 24-goal form. This season has been a struggle, with Foegele scoring only 9 points in 47 games.

Steps that senators did not take

The Senators have long been linked to right-shot defenseman McKenzie Weegar, who ended up with the Utah Mammoth. “I suspect Ottawa was also involved in Rob Thomas,” he said on Elliotte Freedman’s 32 Thoughts podcast.

The problem for the Senators was that they didn’t have a lot of trade chips. They have one of the weakest prospect pools in the NHL and no first-round picks. While Steve Staios has come out and said that it was the coach’s decision to sit Stephen Holiday with the Flames, I wonder if he was being held out just in case. If senators had struck a bigger deal, it would most likely have been going the other way.

As things stand, the Senators’ defense and goaltending remain the same. This is no real surprise on the net. There weren’t exactly a ton of goalkeepers available. The good news is that Ullmark has played better recently. Since returning from his leave of absence he has gone 4-0-2 with a .909 SV%. Don’t think that Levi Merilainen will be back any time soon. He is slashing .890 SV% in 14 games at Belleville. On defense, if they need a change they could add Nicholas Matinpalo to the lineup. They could also call up top prospect Carter Yakemchuk. His 27 points in 44 games are impressive. He doesn’t have a minus 37 rating.

senators lineup

Here’s how the Senators will look in their final 21 games:

• Batherson-Stutzle-Giroux
• Tkachuk-Cozens-Gregg
• Foegele-Pinto-Amadio
• cousins-or-zetterlund

• sanderson-zab
• Chabot-Jensen
• cleven-spence

final thoughts

The Senators have a playoff lineup. He has played at a playoff team level throughout the season, in addition to his goaltending and penalty kill. Ulmark has been better recently. It’s the same with the penalty kill. Since Mike Yeo took over with the penalty kill, the Senators PKs are at 80%. Earlier, PK was in a pitiful state of 71.7%. They are currently on pace for 93 points. The Bruins, who hold the final wildcard spot, are on pace for 98. You can’t forget about the Blue Jackets, who landed Connor Garland at the deadline and currently lead the Sens by three points.

In their final 21 games last season, the Senators went 14-5-2. If they can repeat this, they will finish the season with 99 points. This should be good enough to make the playoffs. Of course, there will be no bad effects from here on out. It’s hard to do, but the Senators have what it takes.

Sure, the Senators didn’t make any blockbuster moves at the deadline, but they didn’t really have the assets, nor were they in a position to do so. Warren Foegele should help this team. If he can add another hard hit that can help on the penalty kill, that would be great. Another reason for optimism—the Senators’ next two games are on the road. However, after that, they finish the season playing 12 of their remaining 19 games at home.

Danny was born and raised in Ottawa and still lives in that city. He has followed… more about Danny McCloskey

David Perrone is going back to Detroit. After parts of two seasons with the Senators, the Red Wings are bringing back the 37-year-old veteran, who played in Detroit for two seasons in 2022-23 and 2023-24. The hope is that Perron can work his way back to health and help the Red Wings on their playoff journey. As far as the Senators are concerned, the trade would give them a conditional fourth-round selection. Let’s get into the details.

READ MORE: Senators acquire Warren Foegele from Kings

Peron’s time with senators

When Perron signed a two-year deal worth $4 million per season in the summer of 2024, expectations were high. He was coming off a 17 goal, 47 point season with the Red Wings and was a veteran of over 1100 games. He also had a Stanley Cup on his resume during his time with the St. Louis Blues. Unfortunately, injuries have plagued the Senators as well as Perón. He has missed time in each of his two seasons and is currently out with a sports hernia. His numbers in both seasons were as follows:

• 2024-25: 43 games, 9 goals, 16 points
• 2025-26: 49 games, 10 goals, 25 points

In the Senators’ first-round series against the Maple Leafs last year, he played well, scoring 2 goals and one assist in 6 games.

Over the past two seasons it was clear that Perron was an extremely slow skater. He lacks both initial burst and top end speed. What he did provide, however, was a great board battler who was always ready to move into the dirty areas. Despite limited minutes, he produced solid numbers this season, including 3 goals and 8 points on the Senators’ second power play unit.

return to senators

These are the conditions for draft selections that come before senators:

• If Perron plays a game this season or in the playoffs for the Red Wings, the Senators will receive a 2026 fourth-round draft pick.
• If Detroit reaches the second round of the playoffs and Perón plays at least 50 percent of his first-round games, the Senators will receive a 2026 third-round selection.

With these conditions, it seems as if Peron’s health is clearly still in question.

final thoughts

The move lines up nicely with the trade made just hours earlier, which brought in the Senators’ Warren Foegele. Essentially, Foegele is the Perrone replacement on the wing, with the Senators giving up a second-round pick and (probably) selecting a fourth. So, is it for senators? Staios was aggressive at last year’s deadline, so don’t be surprised to see him push for something more tomorrow.

Danny was born and raised in Ottawa and still lives in that city. He has followed… more about Danny McCloskey