Senators strong start built on Stützle and Ullmark, but big test looms on the road
While the Ottawa Senators' scorching 8-4-0 October record has defied the expectations of many critics, the team is about to be put to the test.
The Senators are hitting the road for their first extended road trip of the season, with stops in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Jose, Anaheim and Buffalo. They won't have favorable matchups, and they’re doing so with their starting goaltender injured and questions surrounding their secondary scoring.
But despite all of this, and the many who doubted their chances this year following the departure of captain Brady Tkachuk, the Senators have done what is most important: get wins.
So, what’s working and what isn’t?
Can’t stop Stützle, but is scoring a concern?
Tim Stützle has taken another step this season, particularly offensively.
With eight goals and eight assists through 12 games, the 24-year-old centre has recorded a point in all but one of Ottawa’s games so far. He currently sits tied for 12th in league scoring.
In fact, Stützle has either scored or assisted on 42 per cent of the Senators' 38 goals so far.
Second in team scoring is Drake Batherson, fresh off signing a long-term extension with the team, who has recorded seven goals and 12 total points. That’s 28 combined points between Stützle and Batherson, equal to 74 per cent of the Senators' 38 goals.
Depth scoring is a real concern. It’s especially noticeable when you see the third most goals scored on the team is a tie between Stephen Halliday and Michael Amadio, who each have three.
Dylan Cozens finally scored his first of the season against the New York Rangers on Saturday, and the Senators have to hope more is coming from their second-line centre. The same can be said for the likes of André Burakovsky, Fabian Zetterlund and Warren Foegele, who have all been given top-six looks with William Eklund’s injury.
Ullmark’s brilliance
If Stützle isn’t the Senators' early-season MVP, it’s certainly Linus Ullmark.
Last season, Ullmark struggled mightily out of the gate. At this point last year his record was barely above .500, while his individual stats weren’t pretty. This year it’s a completely different story.
Season (First 8 Games) | Record | Goals-Against Average (GAA) | Save Percentage (SV%) |
2025-26 | 4-3-1 | 3.14 | .871 |
2026-27 | 7-1-0 | 1.33 | .945 |
The Senators' starter is off to a better start than his Vezina Trophy-winning 2022-23 campaign with the Boston Bruins. He began that season with an identical 7-1-0 record, 2.18 goals-against average and .929 save percentage.
Ullmark’s 10.3 goals saved above expected also lead the NHL, according to Evolving-Hockey.
The only unfortunate part is a lower-body strain suffered in the third period of Wednesday’s 5-1 win against the Florida Panthers. He was placed on injured reserve the next day, with head coach Travis Green saying he would miss one to two weeks.
The good news is that Ullmark is making the road trip with the Senators, and could see action before the team returns to Ottawa on Nov. 7.
Backup concerns
While Ullmark is on the shelf, the Senators' crease is in the hands of Sam Ersson and Jonas Johansson, but neither has done much to inspire confidence early on.
Acquired on June 26 from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a fifth-round pick, Ersson was signed to a two-year contract worth $2.2 million per season. He was meant to stabilize the backup position, but that’s yet to happen.
Through three starts, Ersson has yet to record a win and has posted an ugly 4.59 goals-against average and .835 save percentage. It’s important to note that his three starts were on the second half of back-to-back game nights for the Senators, all of which the team performed poorly in. But that doesn’t make the stats any less concerning.
Johansson was acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sept. 25, mere hours after the Senators lost Leevi Meriläinen on waivers to the Vancouver Canucks. Assigned to AHL Belleville, Johansson put up a 3-1-1 record, a .912 save percentage and a 2.92 goals-against average.
Johansson made 24 saves in Ottawa’s 7-4 win over the New York Rangers. While he secured the win, which is one more than Ersson has for the team, Johansson still put up a concerning .857 save percentage.
Travis Green confirmed he’ll get the start against Vegas on Tuesday. If he can put up better numbers and secure another win, one has to wonder if he can push Ersson out of the backup role once Ullmark returns.
Power-play woes, Chabot's return
The Senators' power play has also been underwhelming to start the year, clicking at just 11.5 per cent. That ranks 29th in the league, ahead of only Columbus, Buffalo and Chicago. It’s simply not good enough.
Jake Sanderson’s return to the lineup after an 8-game absence due to injury should help a lot. He’s far more of a shooting threat than Thomas Chabot, but it’s something to watch over the course of this upcoming road trip.
Chabot also traveled with the team to Las Vegas and was a full-participant in Monday's practice. He won't play against the Golden Knights, but is clearly getting close to a return after exiting the team’s loss to Philadelphia on Oct. 17 with an upper-body injury.
Comments