Senators Visit Devils on October 12 Seeking Fifth Win

Ottawa will take its strong opening record into Newark, New Jersey, on Monday, October 12, 2026, when the Senators visit the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center for a 7 p.m. ET game. Ottawa is seeking its fifth victory in six games, while New Jersey aims to build on a weekend win and improve its 2-2-0 record.

According to NHL.com, Ottawa has started the 2026-27 season 4-1-0, collecting eight points from five games. New Jersey enters the matchup at 2-2-0 after defeating the Vancouver Canucks 4-1 on Saturday.

Tim Stutzle leads Ottawa with eight points, including four goals and four assists. The 24-year-old forward could become the seventh player in Senators history to record 10 points within his first six games of a season.

The matchup also features two goaltenders in strong early-season form. Linus Ullmark has won all four of his starts for Ottawa, recording a .942 save percentage. The Hockey News reported a 1.34 goals-against average entering Monday, while another preview cited the same save percentage and a 1.13 average.

Ullmark's performances have helped Ottawa overcome injuries to key players, including defensemen Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub and forward William Eklund. Sanderson is sidelined with a lower-body injury, Zub has yet to make his season debut, and Eklund is expected to miss an extended period with an ankle injury.

Ottawa forward Drake Batherson described the team's opening stretch as its strongest in recent memory.

"I think this has been our best start since I can remember," Batherson said. "So it's nice being on the other side of it. You know, there's so many games this month. We've just got to keep playing the way we're playing, and the more consistent we are, the better off we'll be."

The Senators' latest victory came against Nashville, where they recovered from a two-goal deficit to win 3-2 in a shootout. Stutzle scored a power-play goal before Batherson tied the game with 1:23 remaining in regulation, and Stutzle and Shane Pinto converted their shootout attempts to secure the win.

Pinto credited Ullmark's ability and experience when discussing the goaltender's contribution to Ottawa's early success.

"He's always been sick, I've known that," Pinto said of Ullmark. "He's won a Vezina. To win a Vezina is not that easy to do and we know the talent level that he has. ... He knows we have his back and he's in a good place, and you could just tell by the way he's been playing."

New Jersey's offense also showed signs of improvement against Vancouver. Captain Nico Hischier scored twice on the power play, reaching 200 and 201 career NHL goals in his 613th game. He became the fifth Switzerland-born player to reach 200 goals and the second-fastest behind Timo Meier, who achieved the milestone in 569 games, according to NHL.com.

Jesper Bratt and Jesper Boqvist also scored against Vancouver, while goaltender Jake Allen stopped 20 of 21 shots in his 500th career NHL appearance. Allen earned his second victory of the season as the Devils ended a two-game losing streak.

Allen described reaching the milestone as a significant personal achievement.

"It was a proud day for me," Allen said of his momentous victory. "I think there was a point where I didn't know if I was going to hit (500 games). I didn't think it was in reach."

Allen added that his career had continued longer than he once expected.

"I've extended my career a lot longer than I thought possible and I'm pretty proud of that. I'm a huge proponent on longevity so I'm proud to be able to say that I've played this long."

Hischier said New Jersey's improved power play reflected the work the team had put into practice after struggling in its first three games.

"We put the work in and we did a lot of practice, a lot of routes, and I think that's when it just starts clicking," Hischier said of the Devils' power play. "You just need to stay patient sometimes. I think it's normal to go through stretches and we stayed patient, we worked on it."

New Jersey converted three of four power-play opportunities against Vancouver after going 1-for-14 through its first three games. Ottawa, meanwhile, had converted three of 24 power-play opportunities entering Monday, according to The Hockey News.

The Devils will also manage their lineup around several injuries. Nick Bjugstad is sidelined with a pectoral injury, Seamus Casey is recovering from knee surgery, and Connor Brown has a lower-body injury. Both teams face a demanding schedule, with Ottawa scheduled to host the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday and New Jersey set to visit the Detroit Red Wings.