Early look The full preview opens on Monday 15 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

Florida Panthers at Ottawa Senators: game preview

Puck drop18 Mar · 7:00 PM ET
VenueCanadian Tire Centre
All-time meetings124 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Fifteen points apart last season

Florida finished last season 25th in the league on 84 points. Ottawa finished 9th on 99, and the 2025-26 season series went FLA 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 125

Across 124 completed games, Ottawa lead the head-to-head 63-53-8.

All-time record63-53-8Ottawa's record in the series
Meetings played124This is number 125
2025-26 seriesFLA 3-1-0
Last 53-2Florida
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
9 Apr 2026FLA 1 – OTT 5——OTT
31 Mar 2026OTT 3 – FLA 6——FLA
10 Jan 2026FLA 3 – OTT 2——FLA
11 Oct 2025OTT 2 – FLA 6——FLA
5 Apr 2025FLA 0 – OTT 3——OTT
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateFloridaOttawa
11 Oct 20253-0-0 · 6 pts1st1-1-0 · 2 pts21st
10 Jan 202623-18-3 · 49 pts17th20-19-5 · 45 pts24th
31 Mar 202636-35-3 · 75 pts27th38-26-10 · 86 pts13th
9 Apr 202637-38-4 · 78 pts26th42-27-10 · 94 pts10th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 11 Oct 2025, Florida were 1st in the league and Ottawa 21st. By 9 Apr 2026 it was 26th and 10th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Ottawa out-attempted Florida 218 to 213

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

Florida Panthers

213 att · 100 on goal · 16 G · 16.0%
Crease16 att · 1 G
Slot90 att · 10 G
Wing75 att · 5 G
Point27 att · 0 G
Neutral zone5 att · 0 G

Ottawa Senators

218 att · 99 on goal · 12 G · 12.1%
Crease18 att · 1 G
Slot83 att · 6 G
Wing55 att · 3 G
Point54 att · 1 G
Neutral zone8 att · 1 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.

FloridaOttawa
3.01xG for per game2.95
2.34xG against per game3.41
56.3%xG share46.4%
−4.0FinishingGoals minus expected goals+1.1
+1.4GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+2.2

This season: 4 games for Florida, 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

Florida

Small sample
Power play · 2026-274.3%
Power play · 2025-2619.5% · 19th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2778.9%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.0% · 9th
Faceoffs · 2026-2750.2% · 115/229
Drawn · 2026-2723 (5.75/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2719 (4.75/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
19Matthew Tkachuk42130.75
20Lars Eller40330.75
9Sam Bennett40330.75
18Tim Stützle33362.00
22Michael Amadio32131.00
19Drake Batherson32131.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
3Seth Jones41010.25
42Gustav Forsling31010.33
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 16 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 16 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Florida crease

FLA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 15 Mar

Jacob Markstrom.9273 GP · 2-0-1 · GSAx +3.2
Akira Schmid.8751 GP · 0-0-1 · GSAx −1.0

No appearances against Ottawa in the last meetings.

Ottawa crease

OTT · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 15 Mar

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

No appearances against Florida in the last meetings.


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

9 Apr 20266 · FLA 1–5 OTT
31 Mar 20269 · OTT 3–6 FLA
10 Jan 20265 · FLA 3–2 OTT
11 Oct 20258 · OTT 2–6 FLA
5 Apr 20253 · FLA 0–3 OTT

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Florida2.002.003.063.37
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 meetings6.2Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

11 on the injury lists

Florida · injuries

Aaron EkbladPersonalOutReturn10 Oct
Aleksander BarkovLower BodyIRReturn27 Nov
Brad MarchandLegDay-to-dayReturn10 Oct
Jonah GadjovichUpper BodyIRReturn17 Oct
MacKenzie EntwistleUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Ottawa · injuries

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

Placed C Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve. Called up D Alexander Petrovic from Charlotte (AHL).

3 Oct · FLA

Placed C Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve.

27 Sep · FLA

Placed RW/C Cole Schwindt, RD Alexander Petrovic, LD Donovan Sebrango, LW Kai Schwindt, LW Cole Reinhardt, RW Sam Lafferty and C/LW John Beecher on waivers. Agreed to terms with RW Nathan Bastian on a 1-year, two-way contract.

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
#40Simas IgnataviciusRound 2 · GeneveRW
#48Ryder CaliRound 2 · North BayC
#98Jonas KempsRound 4 · ChicagoD
#168Vilho VanhataloRound 6 · Tappara Jr.RW
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