Puck drop: 7:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario
TV: TSN5 / RDS / MSGSN / ESPN+
The Islanders (Metropolitan Division) visit the Senators (Atlantic Division) for the first meeting of the 2026-27 season. Ottawa sits near the top of the Atlantic with a strong early record, while New York is .500 overall and still searching for its first road win (0-2-0 away).
Current Rosters & Projected Lineups
New York Islanders
Forwards feature Bo Horvat (7 points, including strong goal production), Kyle Palmieri (recent two-goal game), Brayden Schenn, Anthony Duclair, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Emil Heineman, Victor Eklund, Ondřej Palát, Matias Maccelli, Casey Cizikas, and others.
Defense includes Matthew Schaefer, Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, Logan Stanley, Tony DeAngelo, Matt Kessel, and Scott Mayfield.
Goalies: Ilya Sorokin (primary) and Semyon Varlamov.
Projected lines (based on recent usage):
Heineman – Horvat – Palmieri
Schenn – Ritchie – Eklund
Palát – Pageau – Duclair
Holmström/Maccelli – Cizikas (bottom six variations)
Defense pairs: Stanley-Schaefer, Pelech-Pulock, DeAngelo/Kessel or Mayfield. Sorokin is the projected starter (strong early numbers: ~1.81 GAA, .934 SV% in limited action).
Ottawa Senators:
Forwards led by Tim Stützle (team-high points early), Drake Batherson, Claude Giroux, Shane Pinto, Dylan Cozens, Michael Amadio, Ridly Greig (day-to-day), Fabian Zetterlund, Warren Foegele, and others.
Defense: Thomas Chabot (heavy minutes), Jordan Spence, Tyler Kleven, Carter Yakemchuk, Jorian Donovan (recent recall), Hoyt Stanley.
Goalies: Linus Ullmark (dominant) and Samuel Ersson.
Projected lines (recent patterns):
Foegele/Burakovsky – Stützle – Batherson
Amadio – Pinto/Cozens – Giroux/Greig
Zetterlund – Halliday – Cousins (bottom six)
Defense: Chabot-Spence as the top pair, with Kleven-Yakemchuk and depth options. Ullmark is the projected starter after an outstanding 5-0-0 start (1.27 GAA, .948 SV%).
Injury Reports
Islanders: C Mathew Barzal (knee, IR/non-roster, no firm timeline, skating on his own); D Alexander Romanov (torn ACL, out 6-8 months/season-ending). Depth has been tested on the blue line, with Stanley and others stepping up.
Senators: D Jake Sanderson (lower body, day-to-day, has missed significant time); D Artem Zub (knee, IR); D Nikolas Matinpalo (upper body, out); LW William Eklund (ankle, extended absence); D Cameron Crotty (illness, IR); LW Kurtis MacDermid (upper body, IR); C Ridly Greig (strain, day-to-day). The blue line is short-handed without Sanderson and Zub.
Key Player Matchups
Bo Horvat / Kyle Palmieri vs. Senators defense: Horvat has been productive early; Palmieri’s recent multi-goal outing provides secondary scoring. Ottawa’s Chabot-led pairs and PK will be tested without Sanderson/Zub.
Tim Stützle / Drake Batherson vs. Islanders defense: Stützle leads Ottawa in early points and drives the attack. New York’s Pelech-Pulock and Schaefer groups must contain the speed and skill, especially with Romanov out long-term.
Goaltending duel: Sorokin (elite early form) vs. Ullmark (perfect 5-0-0 start with exceptional numbers). This is a potential highlight.
Special teams: Islanders’ PP has been solid early (~21%); Senators’ is lower. Ottawa’s structure and home ice could neutralize New York’s man-advantage chances.
Secondary: Pageau’s faceoff/PK work and Schenn’s physicality vs. Ottawa’s middle-six depth.
Recent Team Forms
Islanders: 3-3-0. Recent: Win vs. Vancouver (3-2, Palmieri two goals), loss vs. Tampa Bay (5-3), win vs. Chicago (4-1), loss at Rangers, win vs. New Jersey (6-0). Strong at home but winless on the road; defense and Sorokin have kept games close (2.50 GA/GP).
Senators: 5-2-0. Recent: Loss vs. St. Louis (7-2), win at New Jersey (4-1), SO win vs. Nashville, win vs. Philadelphia, loss at Detroit. Excellent start fueled by Ullmark and Stützle; home record solid. Goal differential positive despite defensive absences.
Series History
First meeting of 2026-27. Recent H2H has been competitive (split results in prior seasons, with several low-scoring or one-goal games). Ottawa has had success at Canadian Tire Centre in some recent matchups; Islanders have shown capability on the road in the series historically. Overall balanced in the last 10 meetings.
Betting Trends
Ottawa strong as home favorites early; Islanders competitive in under totals; public money leans Senators. Ullmark’s perfection and home ice drive the favorite status, while Islanders’ underdog value is noted given Sorokin’s form.
This matchup pits two solid early-season teams with elite goaltending (Sorokin vs. Ullmark) and key absences on both blue lines. Ottawa’s home advantage and hot start make them favorites, but New York’s structure and Horvat/Palmieri scoring could keep it close in a potential low-scoring affair.
Game Odds
New York Islanders 5.5
Ottawa Senators – 150
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Wednesday, October 14, 2026
