Early look · NHL 2026-27

New Jersey Devils at Ottawa Senators: game preview

New JerseyDevils2026-27: 1-2-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 42-37-3 · 87 pts · 21stat

OttawaSenators2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 44-27-11 · 99 pts · 9th

Puck drop3 Dec · 7:00 PM ET

VenueCanadian Tire Centre

All-time meetings136 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Twelve points apart last season

New Jersey finished last season 21st in the league on 87 points. Ottawa finished 9th on 99.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 137

Across 136 completed games, New Jersey lead the head-to-head 78-45-13.

All-time record78-45-13New Jersey's record in the series

Meetings played136This is number 137

2025-26 series—

Last 53-2Ottawa

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

12 Apr 2026OTT 3 – NJD 4 OT30–30OTT 1/3 · NJD 1/4NJD

31 Jan 2026NJD 1 – OTT 427–34NJD 0/5 · OTT 2/3OTT

9 Dec 2025NJD 4 – OTT 332–38NJD 0/3 · OTT 3/3NJD

22 Mar 2025OTT 3 – NJD 219–27OTT 1/3 · NJD 1/3OTT

19 Jan 2025OTT 2 – NJD 120–26OTT 0/3 · NJD 0/1OTT

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNew JerseyOttawa

9 Dec 202517-12-1 · 35 pts15th13-12-4 · 30 pts25th

31 Jan 202627-23-2 · 56 pts20th24-21-7 · 55 pts25th

12 Apr 202642-36-3 · 87 pts21st43-27-11 · 97 pts10th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 9 Dec 2025, New Jersey were 15th in the league and Ottawa 25th. By 12 Apr 2026 it was 21st and 10th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

New Jersey out-attempted Ottawa 287 to 264

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

New Jersey Devils

287 att · 142 on goal · 12 G · 8.5%

Crease22 att · 5 G

Slot105 att · 4 G

Wing112 att · 3 G

Point37 att · 0 G

Neutral zone11 att · 0 G

Ottawa Senators

264 att · 141 on goal · 15 G · 10.6%

Crease26 att · 6 G

Slot95 att · 4 G

Wing88 att · 5 G

Point49 att · 0 G

Neutral zone6 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Ottawa have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

New JerseyOttawa

3.52xG for per game2.95

3.01xG against per game3.41

53.9%xG share46.4%

−4.5FinishingGoals minus expected goals+1.1

−4.0GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+2.2

This season: 3 games for New Jersey, 3 for Ottawa. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →

Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

New Jersey

Small sample

Power play · 2026-277.1%

Power play · 2025-2622.0% · 13th

Power play · last 5 meetings2/16 · 12.5%

Penalty kill · 2026-2762.5%

Penalty kill · 2025-2679.3% · 17th

Faceoffs · 2026-2747.5% · 87/183

Drawn · 2026-2714 (4.67/gm)

Drawn · last meetings16 (3.20/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)

PP goals · last meetings2

Ottawa

Small sample

Power play · 2026-277.7%

Power play · 2025-2624.0% · 8th

Power play · last 5 meetings7/15 · 46.7%

Penalty kill · 2026-2776.9%

Penalty kill · 2025-2675.7% · 29th

Faceoffs · 2026-2752.7% · 99/188

Drawn · 2026-2713 (4.33/gm)

Drawn · last meetings15 (3.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2713 (4.33/gm)

PP goals · last meetings7

Skaters

Brady Tkachuk has 6 points in the last 5 meetings

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away, then who has produced in the last meetings.

In the last meetings

See all: In the last meetings →

PlayerGPGAPSOG

8Brady Tkachuk424613

19Drake Batherson532510

18Tim Stützle42358

16Connor Brown31454

13Nico Hischier531418

24Dylan Cozens41347

12Cody Glass41347

85Jake Sanderson40449

12Shane Pinto42138

22Michael Amadio51236

Head-to-head finder

Brady Tkachuk vs New Jersey · game by game

See all: Brady Tkachuk vs New Jersey · game by game →

DateVenueGAPSOGTOI

31 Jan 2026home123313:00

9 Dec 2025home022619:19

22 Mar 2025away101313:23

19 Jan 2025away000118:23

Last 5 meetings6 P2 G, 4 A · 13 SOG

Next best5 PDrake Batherson, OTT

2025-26 season59 P60 GP · 22 G

Blank vs NJD1 of 4

Full game log

Goaltending

Jake Allen has started most of these meetings

Jake Allen played 2 of the last 5 meetings with Ottawa, with a .885 save percentage. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

New Jersey

Expected starter after their game on 1 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Ottawa

Expected starter after their game on 30 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Jake Allen

See all: Jake Allen →

NJD · 1-1-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 30 Nov

SV% · 2026-27.8752 GP · 3.47 GAA · 2025-26 .904

vs Ottawa.8852 app · 52 SA · 6 GA

GSAx · 2026-27−1.72 starts · most on the roster

vs OTTVenueSAGASV%

31 Jan 2026away333.909

22 Mar 2025home193.842

Also on the roster, 2026-27: Nico Daws .813 (1 GP)

Full game log

Linus Ullmark

See all: Linus Ullmark →

OTT · 2-0-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 30 Nov

SV% · 2026-27.9492 GP · 1.20 GAA · 2025-26 .891

vs New Jersey.9193 app · 86 SA · 7 GA

GSAx · 2026-27+3.42 starts · most on the roster

vs NJDVenueSAGASV%

31 Jan 2026home271.963

9 Dec 2025home324.875

22 Mar 2025away272.926

Also on the roster, 2026-27: Samuel Ersson .886 (2 GP)

Full game log

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.1 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

12 Apr 20267 · OTT 3–4 NJD

31 Jan 20265 · NJD 1–4 OTT

9 Dec 20257 · NJD 4–3 OTT

22 Mar 20255 · OTT 3–2 NJD

19 Jan 20253 · OTT 2–1 NJD

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

New Jersey2.004.332.803.10

Ottawa3.332.673.393.00

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.1Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings5.4Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

11 on the injury lists

New Jersey · injuries

Connor BrownLower BodyOutReturn12 Oct

Johnathan KovacevicKneeIRReturn10 Oct

Jonas SiegenthalerUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn10 Oct

Nick BjugstadPectoralIRReturn19 Jan

Seamus CaseyKneeIRReturn21 Nov

Ottawa · injuries

Andre BurakovskyUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct

Artem ZubKneeIRReturn10 Oct

Blake MontgomeryUndisclosedIRReturn8 Oct

Jake SandersonLower BodyOutReturn8 Oct

Kurtis MacDermidUpper BodyIRReturn31 Oct

Linus UllmarkUndisclosedOutReturn8 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

27 Sep · NJD

Claimed LW Jeremie Poirier off waivers.

27 Sep · NJD

Claimed LW Jeremie Poirier off waivers. Placed C/RW Marc McLaughlin, LD Vladislav Kolyachonok, G David Rittich, LW Riley Tufte, LD Topias Vilen, and C/RW Colin White on waivers.

25 Sep · NJD

Assigned Ds Mikael Diotte, Ethan Edwards, Jeremy Hanzel, Etienne Morin and Anton Silaev, Fs Josh Filmon, Lenni Hameenaho, Shane Lachance, Matyas Melovsky, Xavier Parent, Cam Squires and Ben Steeves and G Jakub Malek to Utica (AHL). Waived for the purpose of assignment to Utica Ds DJ King, Charles Leddy and Eamon Powell, Fs Tristan Ashbrook, Zachary Gallant, Gabe Klassen, Jack Malone, Justin Pearson, Ryan Schmelzer, Cristophe Tellier and Jermey Wilmer and Gs Jeremy Brodeur and Seth Eisele.

6 Oct · OTT

Recalled G Marcus Johansson from Belleville (AHL). Assigned D Donovan Sebrango to Belleville.

5 Oct · OTT

Recalled D Donovan Sebrango from Belleville (AHL). Placed LW Andre Burakovsky on injured reserve.

2 Oct · OTT

Loaned D Hoyt Stanley to Belleville (AHL).

Injury report

New Jersey · 2026 draft

See all: New Jersey · 2026 draft →

#12Alexander CommandRound 1 · Orebro Jr.C

#37Matias VanhanenRound 2 · EverettLW

#44Nikita ShcherbakovRound 2 · Ufa Jr.D

#119Lavr GashilovRound 4 · Yekaterinburg Jr.C

Full draft

Ottawa · 2026 draft

See all: Ottawa · 2026 draft →

#25Jonas Lagerberg HoenRound 1 · Leksand Jr.RW

#32Jaxon CoverRound 1 · LondonRW

#72Adam NemecRound 3 · SudburyLW

#87Oscar HolmertzRound 3 · Linkoping Jr.C

Full draft

Thursday 3 December · the full slate

See all: Thursday 3 December · the full slate →

OTTThis game 7:00 PM ET

Updated after every final

New Jersey Devils at Ottawa Senators: game preview

Twelve points apart last season

Meeting number 137

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

New Jersey out-attempted Ottawa 287 to 264

New Jersey Devils

Ottawa Senators

Ottawa have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

New Jersey

Ottawa

Brady Tkachuk has 6 points in the last 5 meetings

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

In the last meetings

Brady Tkachuk vs New Jersey · game by game

Jake Allen has started most of these meetings

Jake Allen

Linus Ullmark

Scoring rates point to about 6.1 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

11 on the injury lists

New Jersey · injuries

Ottawa · injuries

Latest moves

New Jersey · 2026 draft

Ottawa · 2026 draft

Thursday 3 December · the full slate