Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Puck drop: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: DSN (Detroit), TSN5 / RDS2 (Ottawa/Canada), ESPN+ (out-of-market)
Ottawa is perfect through two road games to open the season and sits atop the Atlantic Division. Detroit is winless after two home losses and seeks its first points of 2026-27. Ottawa is on the second half of a back-to-back (after a 4-1 win at Boston on Monday).
Projected Lineups / Current Rosters
Ottawa Senators (projected; Samuel Ersson expected to start on the back-to-back, with Linus Ullmark available after exiting the Boston game for precautionary reasons):
Forwards: William Eklund – Dylan Cozens – Fabian Zetterlund; Warren Foegele – Tim Stützle – Drake Batherson; Michael Amadio – Shane Pinto – Claude Giroux; Nick Cousins – Stephen Halliday – Hayden Hodgson
Defense: Thomas Chabot – Jordan Spence; Tyler Kleven – Carter Yakemchuk; Cameron Crotty – Nikolas Matinpalo
Goalies: Samuel Ersson (likely starter), Linus Ullmark
Scratched: Ridly Greig (eligible after serving a two-game suspension)
Detroit Red Wings (projected; John Gibson expected to start; Dylan Larkin expected to make his season debut if cleared):
Forwards: Viktor Arvidsson – Dylan Larkin – Lucas Raymond; Michael Brandsegg-Nygard – Emmitt Finnie – Alex DeBrincat; Michael Rasmussen – Andrew Copp – Keegan Kolesar; Nate Danielson – Carter Mazur
Defense: Albert Johansson – Moritz Seider; Anton Johansson – Justin Faulk; Ben Chiarot – Axel Sandin-Pellikka (Andreas Englund also in mix)
Goalies: John Gibson (starter), Daniil Tarasov
Scratched: William Wallinder
Injury Reports
Senators: Artem Zub (D, knee, out); Andre Burakovsky (LW, upper body, out/IR); Kurtis MacDermid (LW/upper body or undisclosed, out); Jake Sanderson (D, lower body/undisclosed, day-to-day — missed recent action). Ullmark tweaked something vs. Boston but is not listed as out.
Red Wings: Jacob Bernard-Docker (D, upper body, out); Marco Kasper (C, upper body, day-to-day/week-to-week); J.T. Compher (undisclosed, day-to-day); Mason Appleton (undisclosed, day-to-day/week-to-week). Larkin (upper body) skated and is expected to debut if doctors clear him.
Recent Team Forms
Ottawa: 3-2 win at Toronto (Oct. 3) followed by a dominant 4-1 win at Boston (Oct. 5). Tim Stützle has four points (two goals, including a shorthanded marker) through two games. Strong goaltending (Ullmark/Ersson combined .938+ SV% range early) and balanced scoring have the Sens looking sharp despite missing key pieces.
Detroit: 0-2 losses at home to the Rangers (2-0) and Jets (3-2). Offense has been limited (1.0 GPG early). Seider and the defense have been solid in spots, but secondary scoring and depth have been issues with injuries. Larkin’s potential return would be a major boost.
Series HistoryAll-time regular-season series is competitive and roughly even (Ottawa around 34-35-1-3 or similar tallies depending on inclusion of ties/OT; Detroit holds a slight edge in some historical counts). Recent years have been split, with Ottawa taking the most recent meeting (3-2 at Detroit on March 24, 2026). No playoff history between the clubs. They are Atlantic Division rivals with multiple meetings annually.
Key Player vs. Player Matchups
Tim Stützle / Ottawa top six vs. Dylan Larkin (if available) / Detroit top line with Raymond and Arvidsson/DeBrincat: Stützle has been electric early; Larkin’s return would pit two high-end centers against each other.
Thomas Chabot / Ottawa blue line vs. Moritz Seider and Detroit’s mobile defense: Chabot has been productive; Seider anchors Detroit’s back end.
Alex DeBrincat / Lucas Raymond scoring threats vs. Ottawa’s structure and goaltending: Detroit needs its skill players to generate more against Ottawa’s early defensive form.
Goaltending: Samuel Ersson (or Ullmark) vs. John Gibson — early-season form and workload (Ottawa B2B) will matter.
Special teams: Ottawa’s early PK strength against Detroit’s power-play opportunities.
Betting Trends
Ottawa is rolling on the road but on a back-to-back with travel and potential backup goalie. Detroit is home and rested with the potential spark of Larkin’s debut, though the offense has struggled. Public and models often lean slightly toward the hotter Ottawa side or the under given both teams’ early scoring profiles.
Game Odds
Ottawa Senators 6
Detroit Red Wings – 110
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Monday, October 5, 2026
