Early look The full preview opens on Monday 7 December, 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

Vegas Golden Knights at Ottawa Senators: game preview

Puck drop10 Dec · 7:00 PM ET
VenueCanadian Tire Centre
All-time meetings16 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Four points apart last season

Vegas finished last season 13th in the league on 95 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 17

Across 16 completed games, Vegas lead the head-to-head 12-2-2.

All-time record12-2-2Vegas's record in the series
Meetings played16This is number 17
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Ottawa
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
25 Jan 2026VGK 1 – OTT 7——OTT
26 Nov 2025OTT 4 – VGK 3 SO——OTT
21 Nov 2024VGK 3 – OTT 2——VGK
25 Oct 2024OTT 4 – VGK 6——VGK
24 Feb 2024VGK 3 – OTT 4 SO——OTT
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateVegasOttawa
26 Nov 202510-5-8 · 28 pts8th12-7-4 · 28 pts9th
25 Jan 202625-14-12 · 62 pts10th24-21-7 · 55 pts25th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 26 Nov 2025, Vegas were 8th in the league and Ottawa 9th. By 25 Jan 2026 it was 10th and 25th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Ottawa out-attempted Vegas 128 to 112

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

Vegas Golden Knights

112 att · 55 on goal · 4 G · 7.3%
Crease11 att · 2 G
Slot49 att · 2 G
Wing35 att · 0 G
Point13 att · 0 G
Neutral zone4 att · 0 G

Ottawa Senators

128 att · 54 on goal · 10 G · 18.5%
Crease8 att · 1 G
Slot44 att · 5 G
Wing56 att · 2 G
Point18 att · 2 G
Neutral zone2 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Vegas 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.

VegasOttawa
3.79xG for per game2.95
2.09xG against per game3.41
64.4%xG share46.4%
+1.8FinishingGoals minus expected goals+1.1
−1.6GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+2.2

This season: 4 games for Vegas, 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

Vegas

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2731.3%
Power play · 2025-2624.6% · 6th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2783.3%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.4% · 7th
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.0% · 122/230
Drawn · 2026-2716 (4.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (3.00/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
9Jack Eichel428102.50
95Victor Olofsson44151.25
48Tomas Hertl43251.25
18Tim Stützle33362.00
22Michael Amadio32131.00
19Drake Batherson32131.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
27Shea Theodore41230.75
15Noah Hanifin41010.25
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 8 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 8 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Vegas crease

VGK · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 7 Dec

Carter Hart.8903 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx −1.1
Adin Hill.9001 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx −0.5

No appearances against Ottawa in the last meetings.

Ottawa crease

OTT · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 7 Dec

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

No appearances against Vegas in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.4 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

25 Jan 20268 · VGK 1–7 OTT
26 Nov 20257 · OTT 4–3 VGK
21 Nov 20245 · VGK 3–2 OTT
25 Oct 202410 · OTT 4–6 VGK
24 Feb 20247 · VGK 3–4 OTT

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Vegas4.252.503.233.05
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 suggest6.4Goals 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

9 on the injury lists

Vegas · injuries

Lukas CormierUndisclosedIRReturn22 Oct
Raphael LavoieUndisclosedOutReturn8 Oct
Victor OlofssonUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct

Ottawa · injuries

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

Signed C William Karlsson to a two-year contract.

29 Sep · VGK

Placed C Jakub Cormier, RW Matyas Hemmerling and C Jakub Uchacz on the injured non-roster list.

23 Sep · VGK

Placed D Jaycob Megna, D Adam Ginning, D Joe Fleming, C Jakub Demek and D Jeremy Davies on waivers.

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
#29Juho PiiparinenRound 1 · TapparaD
#63ForfeitedRound 2 ·
#92Benjamin WilmottRound 3 · BarrieC
#95Sean BurickRound 3 · PentictonD
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