Early look The full preview opens on Saturday 2 January, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Ottawa Senators at Utah Mammoth: game preview

Puck drop5 Jan · 9:00 PM ET
VenueDelta Center
All-time meetings4 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Seven points apart last season

Ottawa finished last season 9th in the league on 99 points. Utah finished 15th on 92.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 5

Across 4 completed games, Ottawa lead the head-to-head 3-1-0.

All-time record3-1-0Ottawa's record in the series
Meetings played4This is number 5
2025-26 series—
Last 43-1Ottawa
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
7 Jan 2026OTT 1 – UTA 3——UTA
9 Nov 2025UTA 2 – OTT 4——OTT
26 Jan 2025UTA 1 – OTT 3——OTT
22 Oct 2024OTT 4 – UTA 0——OTT
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateOttawaUtah
9 Nov 20258-5-3 · 19 pts10th9-7-0 · 18 pts16th
7 Jan 202620-17-5 · 45 pts23rd21-20-3 · 45 pts25th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 9 Nov 2025, Ottawa were 10th in the league and Utah 16th. By 7 Jan 2026 it was 23rd and 25th.


Where the shots come from · last 4 meetings

Ottawa out-attempted Utah 119 to 106

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

Ottawa Senators

119 att · 58 on goal · 5 G · 8.6%
Crease11 att · 3 G
Slot41 att · 2 G
Wing42 att · 0 G
Point18 att · 0 G
Neutral zone7 att · 0 G

Utah Mammoth

106 att · 52 on goal · 5 G · 9.6%
Crease15 att · 3 G
Slot35 att · 1 G
Wing42 att · 1 G
Point10 att · 0 G
Neutral zone4 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.

OttawaUtah
2.95xG for per game3.62
3.41xG against per game2.71
46.4%xG share57.2%
+1.1FinishingGoals minus expected goals+2.5
+2.2GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+2.8

This season: 3 games for Ottawa, 4 for Utah. 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

Ottawa

Small sample
Power play · 2026-277.7%
Power play · 2025-2624.0% · 8th
Power play · last 4 meetings—
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 meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2713 (4.33/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Utah

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2761.5%
Power play · 2025-2620.0% · 18th
Power play · last 4 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2792.9%
Penalty kill · 2025-2678.1% · 19th
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.0% · 124/234
Drawn · 2026-2713 (3.25/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2714 (3.50/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
18Tim Stützle33362.00
22Michael Amadio32131.00
19Drake Batherson32131.00
8Nick Schmaltz45271.75
11Dylan Guenther43361.50
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
72Thomas Chabot31120.67
20Andrew Peeke41120.50
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 2 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 2 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Ottawa crease

OTT · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 2 Jan

Linus Ullmark.9492 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +3.4
Samuel Ersson.8862 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −0.9

No appearances against Utah in the last meetings.

Utah crease

UTA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 2 Jan

Karel Vejmelka.9133 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx +1.7
Sebastian Cossa.9471 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +1.4

No appearances against Ottawa in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.3 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 4 meetings

7 Jan 20264 · OTT 1–3 UTA
9 Nov 20256 · UTA 2–4 OTT
26 Jan 20254 · UTA 1–3 OTT
22 Oct 20244 · OTT 4–0 UTA

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Ottawa3.332.673.393.00
Utah4.252.003.272.93

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 suggest6.3Goals in this game
Last 4 meetings4.5Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

8 on the injury lists

Ottawa · injuries

Andre BurakovskyUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct
Artem ZubKneeIRReturn10 Oct
Blake MontgomeryUndisclosedIRReturn8 Oct
Jake SandersonLower BodyOutReturn8 Oct
Kurtis MacDermidUpper BodyIRReturn31 Oct
Linus UllmarkUndisclosedOutReturn8 Oct

Utah · injuries

Maveric LamoureuxShoulderIRReturn12 Feb
Mikhail SergachevUpper BodyDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct
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).

27 Sep · UTA

Placed LW Ben McCartney on waivers.

25 Sep · UTA

Assigned Fs Yegor Borikov, Caleb Desnoyers, Tij Iginla, Gabe Smith and G Michael Hrabal to Tucson (AHL). Waived for the purpose of assignment to Fs Brandon Tanev and Joshua Roy and D Zac Jones.

23 Jul 2026 · UTA

Signed D Max Psenicka to a three-year contract.

Injury report
#25Jonas Lagerberg HoenRound 1 · Leksand Jr.RW
#32Jaxon CoverRound 1 · LondonRW
#72Adam NemecRound 3 · SudburyLW
#87Oscar HolmertzRound 3 · Linkoping Jr.C
Full draft
#17Ethan BelchetzRound 1 · WindsorLW
#96Adam ValentiniRound 3 · MichiganC
#115Carl AxelssonRound 4 · MuskegonG
#130Theodor KnightsRound 5 · Modo Jr.D
Full draft

Updated after every final