Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FL
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 PM ET
TV: TSN5 / RDS2 (Senators); SCRIPPS / ESPN+ nationally; Radio: TSN 1200 (Senators), WQAM 560 AM (Panthers)
Recent Team Forms
Senators (solid but streaky: 5-5 in last 10, L1): Ottawa has shown resilience amid injuries, with recent results including a 3-2 win at Detroit (Mar. 24), 2-1 win at NY Rangers (Mar. 23), and 5-2 home win over Toronto (Mar. 21), but a shootout loss to Pittsburgh (Mar. 26) and regulation loss to Tampa Bay (4-2 on Mar. 28). Offense averages 3.3 GPG (top-10), driven by Brady Tkachuk, Shane Pinto, and depth scoring. They’ve been gritty on the road despite blueline depletion.
Panthers (struggling: 3-7 in last 10, L3): Florida is on a three-game skid, including losses to NY Islanders (5-2 on Mar. 28), NY Rangers (3-1 on Mar. 29), and Minnesota (3-2 on Mar. 26), with a recent SO win over Seattle (5-4 on Mar. 24). Scoring has dipped to ~2.8 GPG lately amid heavy absences, while defense has been leaky. They rank near the bottom in recent goal differential.
Injury Report
Ottawa Senators:
Thomas Chabot (D) – OUT (right forearm surgery; 4-8 weeks, out for remainder of regular season and possibly early playoffs)
Jake Sanderson (D) – OUT (upper body; did not travel or is unavailable for this game per latest reports)
Lassi Thomson (D) – OUT (lower body)
Dennis Gilbert (D) – OUT (upper body; 2-3 weeks)
Nick Jensen (D) – OUT (knee surgery; out for season)
Ottawa is extremely thin on the blue line (multiple recalls from AHL Belleville), forcing heavy minutes for younger or call-up defensemen.
Florida Panthers:
Aleksander Barkov (C) – OUT (knee; season-long on IR)
Brad Marchand (LW) – OUT (lower body; IR, week-to-week)
Anton Lundell (C) – OUT (ribs; 2-6 weeks)
Sam Reinhart (C) – Questionable / Day-to-Day (foot)
Jonah Gadjovich (LW) – OUT (upper body; IR)
Cole Schwindt (RW) – OUT (lower body; IR)
Uvis Balinskis (D) – OUT (lower body / fracture; 4-6 weeks)
Niko Mikkola (D) – OUT (knee; IR)
Florida is decimated up front and on the back end, missing their captain, top center, and key depth pieces.
Key Player Matchups
Brady Tkachuk / Shane Pinto (Senators scoring threats) vs. Panthers depleted defense (without Mikkola/Balinskis): Tkachuk’s physicality and net-front presence should exploit a thinned Panthers blueline.
Matthew Tkachuk / Carter Verhaeghe (Panthers remaining forwards) vs. Senators goaltending and structured D: Ottawa’s young call-ups will be tested by Tkachuk’s skill, but Florida’s missing centers limit creation.
Linus Ullmark / Leevi Meriläinen (Senators tandem) vs. Sergei Bobrovsky (Panthers starter): Goaltending edge likely with Ottawa; Bobrovsky faces heavy pressure against a motivated road team.
Special teams: Senators PP (22.8%) vs. Panthers PK (struggling lately); Ottawa’s depth units could feast on Florida’s absences.
Series History
Florida has dominated the season series and recent history, winning 6-2 in their Oct. 11, 2025 meeting and holding a 7-2-1 edge in the last 10 head-to-heads overall. Panthers games at home against Ottawa tend to favor the Cats, though current injuries flip the script dramatically from prior seasons.
Betting Trends
Senators are 20-14-4 on the road and have covered as favorites against injury-ravaged teams.
Panthers are 3-7 lately, 0-3 in current skid, and poor ATS/SU at home without Barkov and multiple top forwards.
Head-to-head often hits Over, but depleted rosters + defensive-minded Senators point to lower scoring.
Ottawa is surging in the playoff race; Florida has nothing to play for beyond pride.
Game Odds
Ottawa Senators – 180
Florida Panthers 6.5
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Monday, March 30, 2026
