Early look The full preview opens on Wednesday 10 March, 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

Montréal Canadiens at Ottawa Senators: game preview

Puck drop13 Mar · 7:00 PM ET
VenueCanadian Tire Centre
All-time meetings192 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Seven points apart last season

Montréal finished last season 6th in the league on 106 points. Ottawa finished 9th on 99, and the 2025-26 season series went MTL 3-1-0.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 193

Across 192 completed games, Montréal lead the head-to-head 96-73-23.

All-time record96-73-23Montréal's record in the series
Meetings played192This is number 193
2025-26 seriesMTL 3-1-0
Last 53-2Montréal
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
11 Mar 2026MTL 3 – OTT 2——MTL
17 Jan 2026MTL 6 – OTT 5 OT——MTL
2 Dec 2025OTT 5 – MTL 2——OTT
1 Nov 2025OTT 3 – MTL 4 OT——MTL
11 Apr 2025MTL 2 – OTT 5——OTT
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateMontréalOttawa
1 Nov 20259-3-0 · 18 pts4th6-5-2 · 14 pts15th
2 Dec 202513-9-3 · 29 pts18th13-9-4 · 30 pts14th
17 Jan 202627-15-7 · 61 pts7th22-19-6 · 50 pts24th
11 Mar 202636-18-10 · 82 pts7th32-23-9 · 73 pts14th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 1 Nov 2025, Montréal were 4th in the league and Ottawa 15th. By 11 Mar 2026 it was 7th and 14th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Ottawa out-attempted Montréal 261 to 200

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

Montréal Canadiens

200 att · 91 on goal · 15 G · 16.5%
Crease17 att · 4 G
Slot68 att · 6 G
Wing78 att · 4 G
Point25 att · 1 G
Neutral zone12 att · 0 G

Ottawa Senators

261 att · 114 on goal · 15 G · 13.2%
Crease38 att · 7 G
Slot95 att · 6 G
Wing91 att · 2 G
Point34 att · 0 G
Neutral zone3 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.

MontréalOttawa
2.61xG for per game2.95
3.61xG against per game3.41
42.0%xG share46.4%
+4.2FinishingGoals minus expected goals+1.1
−3.2GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+2.2

This season: 3 games for Montréal, 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

Montréal

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2710.0%
Power play · 2025-2623.1% · 10th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2775.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2678.2% · 18th
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.9% · 96/178
Drawn · 2026-2710 (3.33/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Ottawa

Small sample
Power play · 2026-277.7%
Power play · 2025-2624.0% · 8th
Power play · last 5 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

Skaters

Skaters to watch

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

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
14Nick Suzuki32462.00
22Chris Kreider31341.33
76Zachary Bolduc33031.00
18Tim Stützle33362.00
22Michael Amadio32131.00
19Drake Batherson32131.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
48Lane Hutson30441.33
8Mike Matheson30110.33
72Thomas Chabot31120.67
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 10 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 11 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Montréal crease

MTL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 10 Mar

Jakub Dobes.8573 GP · 1-1-1 · GSAx −3.0

No appearances against Ottawa in the last meetings.

Ottawa crease

OTT · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 10 Mar

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

No appearances against Montréal in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.6 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

11 Mar 20265 · MTL 3–2 OTT
17 Jan 202611 · MTL 6–5 OTT
2 Dec 20257 · OTT 5–2 MTL
1 Nov 20257 · OTT 3–4 MTL
11 Apr 20257 · MTL 2–5 OTT

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Montréal4.004.673.453.12
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 suggest6.6Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings7.4Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

11 on the injury lists

Montréal · injuries

Bryce PickfordUndisclosedIRReturn17 Oct
Ivan DemidovLower BodyIRReturn31 Oct
Kaiden GuhleGroinIRReturn20 Oct
Lucas CondottaUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Oliver KapanenLower BodyOutReturn8 Oct

Ottawa · injuries

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

Placed D Reilly Walsh, D Maksymilian Szuber, D Ethan Samson, C Sam Poulin, RW Sasha Pastujov, C Hunter McKown, G Kaapo Kähkönen, LW Brett Berard, and RW Alex Belzile on waivers for the purpose of loaning them to Laval (AHL).

12 Sep · MTL

Signed F Chris Kreider to a one-year contract.

9 Aug 2026 · MTL

Loaned F Vinzenz Rohrer to EV Zug (Switzerland).

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
#26Gleb PugachyovRound 1 · Nizhny Novgorod Jr.RW
#57Timofei RuntsoRound 2 · VictoriaD
#93Cooper CleavesRound 3 · DartmouthD
#117Brayden KlimpkeRound 4 · SaskatoonD
Full draft
#25Jonas Lagerberg HoenRound 1 · Leksand Jr.RW
#32Jaxon CoverRound 1 · LondonRW
#72Adam NemecRound 3 · SudburyLW
#87Oscar HolmertzRound 3 · Linkoping Jr.C
Full draft

Updated after every final