Puck drop 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
TV/Streaming: ESPN+, NESN (Boston), SN+/TVAS (Ottawa)
Game Overview
This is the first Atlantic Division matchup of the season for both clubs. The Senators open their campaign with a road win and continue a multi-game road trip, while the Bruins return home after splitting a back-to-back on the road to begin a homestand. Both teams are early in the 2026-27 schedule, with Ottawa holding 2 points and Boston 4.
Recent Team Forms
Senators (1-0-0): Opened the season with a 3-2 road victory at Toronto on Saturday. They trailed but rallied, outshooting the Leafs 16-5 in the third period. Stephen Halliday scored the winner; Thomas Chabot had a goal and assist while logging heavy minutes (27:06); Michael Amadio also scored and Claude Giroux added two assists. Linus Ullmark was solid in net. The win came despite Jake Sanderson exiting early.
Bruins (2-1-0): Started with a 3-0 home win over the Rangers, followed by a 4-3 OT road win at Winnipeg (JJ Peterka scored the winner), then a 4-1 road loss at Minnesota on Saturday. Michael DiPietro made his Bruins debut in the loss (26 saves). David Pastrnak is the new captain. The team has shown offensive contributions from new pieces but is adjusting without Charlie McAvoy (suspended until around Oct. 13).
Injury Reports
Ottawa Senators:
Jake Sanderson (D): Day-to-day (lower body); exited early in the opener and is expected to miss at least this game and the next (returned to Ottawa for further testing in some reports).
Andre Burakovsky (LW): Out/day-to-day (upper body); missed the opener.
Artem Zub (D): IR (knee); expected back around mid-October.
Kurtis MacDermid (LW): IR (upper body); out until late October.
Blake Montgomery (LW): IR (undisclosed).
Ridly Greig may still be serving residual suspension time in some reports. Thomas Chabot is absorbing heavy minutes.
Boston Bruins:
Matthew Poitras (C): Out/IR (lower body); started the season on IR (some reports suggest possible activation/return for this game).
Charlie McAvoy (D): Suspended (out until approximately Oct. 13).
Depth options include young forwards and defensemen filling in.
Current/Projected Rosters and Lines
Senators projected forwards:
Warren Foegele – Tim Stützle – Drake Batherson
William Eklund – Dylan Cozens – Fabian Zetterlund
Michael Amadio – Shane Pinto – Claude Giroux
Nick Cousins – Stephen Halliday – Hayden Hodgson Defense (adjusted for Sanderson absence): Thomas Chabot – Jordan Spence; Tyler Kleven – others (Nikolas Matinpalo, Carter Yakemchuk, etc.). Goaltenders: Linus Ullmark (likely starter; strong in the opener); Samuel Ersson.
Bruins projected forwards:
JJ Peterka – Elias Lindholm – David Pastrnak
Casey Mittelstadt – Pavel Zacha – Morgan Geekie
James Hagens – Fraser Minten – Marat Khusnutdinov
Tanner Jeannot – (Matthew Poitras or Sean Kuraly) – Mark Kastelic Defense: Hampus Lindholm – Will Borgen; Nikita Zadorov – Connor Clifton; (Frederic Brunet or Jonathan Aspirot) – Mason Lohrei. Goaltenders: Jeremy Swayman (expected to return after DiPietro’s start); Michael DiPietro.
Key available talent includes Stützle, Batherson, Cozens, Giroux, Chabot for Ottawa; Pastrnak, Peterka, Geekie, Zacha, Hampus Lindholm for Boston.
Key Player vs. Player Matchups
David Pastrnak / Elias Lindholm / JJ Peterka line vs. Ottawa top-six and Chabot-led defense: Pastrnak (new captain) is the primary threat; expect him to drive play against a potentially shorthanded Senators blueline.
Tim Stützle / Drake Batherson vs. Bruins top pair (Hampus Lindholm – Borgen) and checking lines: Ottawa’s speed and skill could exploit defensive gaps without McAvoy. Batherson has historically produced well vs. Boston.
Claude Giroux / Shane Pinto defensive responsibility vs. Boston’s secondary scoring (Geekie, Mittelstadt, Zacha).
Goaltending: Ullmark (former Bruin, solid recent form) vs. Swayman. Ullmark’s familiarity with the TD Garden environment adds intrigue.
Special teams: Both clubs have shown early power-play struggles; penalty kill disparities could matter given recent penalty trends.
Series History
Boston holds the overall historical edge (roughly 90+ wins to Ottawa’s 60s in modern records, depending on exact counting of ties/OT). Ottawa dominated the 2025-26 season series 3-1 (outscoring Boston significantly in several games, including a 6-2 win at TD Garden in December 2025). Recent meetings have often been high-scoring or competitive, with Ottawa winning 7 of the last 9 in some samples.
Betting Trends
Ottawa has recent H2H success and road form early; Boston has home-ice strength historically and more games under its belt. Public money has leaned variously; totals often hover near the middle given both teams’ scoring potential.
Game Odds
Ottawa Senators – 118
Boston Bruins 5.5
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Sunday, October 4, 2026
