Venue & Game Info
Location: Benchmark International Arena, 401 Channelside Drive, Tampa, FL 33602
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. PT)
Broadcast: ESPN+, TSN 1200 (Ottawa radio), 102.5 The Bone (Tampa radio)
Team Records & Recent Form
Ottawa Senators (0-0-0): Finished 45-30-7 (97 pts) last season, earning a wild card spot before falling to Toronto in six games. Preseason form was mixed (3–3).
Tampa Bay Lightning (0-0-0): Finished 47-27-8 (102 pts) last season, eliminated in the first round by Florida. Preseason was dominant (6–1–0), highlighted by physical rivalry games vs. the Panthers.
Recent Form (last 5, including preseason):
Senators: W–L–L–W–W
Lightning: L–W–W–W–W
Injury Report
Ottawa Senators:
Drake Batherson (RW) – Upper body, day-to-day
Nick Jensen (D) – Hip, out
Lars Eller (C) – Abdomen, day-to-day
Tyler Kleven (D) – Undisclosed, out
Tampa Bay Lightning:
Nick Paul (LW) – Upper body, out
Zemgus Girgensons (C) – Day-to-day
J.J. Moser (D) – Suspended (2 games)
Player Matchups to Watch
Tim Stützle (OTT) vs. Brayden Point (TBL): Both centers are dynamic playmakers; Point led Tampa with 42 goals last season, while Stützle paced Ottawa with 79 points.
Brady Tkachuk (OTT) vs. Victor Hedman (TBL): Tkachuk’s physical, net-front presence will test Hedman’s defensive leadership.
Linus Ullmark (OTT) vs. Andrei Vasilevskiy (TBL): Ullmark takes over as Ottawa’s No. 1, but Vasilevskiy remains one of the NHL’s elite goaltenders.
Nikita Kucherov (TBL) vs. Jake Sanderson (OTT): Kucherov, coming off back-to-back Art Ross wins, will be shadowed by Ottawa’s rising defensive star.
Series History
2024–25 Season: Teams split 2–2.
All-Time: Lightning lead 52–57–11, including 30–24–6 at home.
Recent Trend: Ottawa has stolen points in 6 of the last 10 meetings.
Betting Trends
Tampa Bay Trends:
29–8–4 at home last season
41–22 as moneyline favorite
49/87 games went over 6 goals
Ottawa Trends:
18–19–4 on the road last season
18 upset wins as underdog (48.6%)
46/88 games went over 6 goals
Game Odds
Ottawa Senators 6.5
Tampa Bay Lightning – 170
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Wednesday, October 8, 2025
