Game preview · NHL 2026-27

Nashville Predators at Ottawa Senators: game preview

Puck drop10 Oct · 7:00 PM ET
VenueCanadian Tire Centre
All-time meetings40 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Thirteen points apart last season

Nashville finished last season 23rd in the league on 86 points. Ottawa finished 9th on 99, and the 2025-26 season series went NSH 2-0-0.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 41

Across 40 completed games, Nashville lead the head-to-head 21-14-5.

All-time record21-14-5Nashville's record in the series
Meetings played40This is number 41
2025-26 seriesNSH 2-0-0
Last 53-2Nashville
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
22 Jan 2026OTT 3 – NSH 526–27OTT 0/3 · NSH 2/4NSH
13 Oct 2025NSH 4 – OTT 126–32NSH 0/6 · OTT 1/5NSH
3 Feb 2025OTT 5 – NSH 239–27OTT 1/5 · NSH 1/2OTT
7 Dec 2024NSH 1 – OTT 337–30NSH 0/1 · OTT 0/3OTT
27 Feb 2024OTT 1 – NSH 425–36OTT 1/2 · NSH 1/3NSH
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNashvilleOttawa
13 Oct 20252-0-1 · 5 pts4th1-2-0 · 2 pts28th
22 Jan 202624-22-4 · 52 pts26th23-20-7 · 53 pts24th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 13 Oct 2025, Nashville were 4th in the league and Ottawa 28th. By 22 Jan 2026 it was 26th and 24th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Nashville out-attempted Ottawa 314 to 286

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

Nashville Predators

314 att · 153 on goal · 16 G · 10.5%
Crease25 att · 3 G
Slot117 att · 7 G
Wing129 att · 4 G
Point34 att · 2 G
Neutral zone9 att · 0 G

Ottawa Senators

286 att · 152 on goal · 13 G · 8.6%
Crease26 att · 4 G
Slot97 att · 5 G
Wing119 att · 3 G
Point39 att · 1 G
Neutral zone5 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.

NashvilleOttawa
2.50xG for per game2.95
3.14xG against per game3.41
44.3%xG share46.4%
−0.5FinishingGoals minus expected goals+1.1
+0.4GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+2.2

This season: 3 games for Nashville, 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

Nashville

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2737.5%
Power play · 2025-2623.1% · 11th
Power play · last 5 meetings4/16 · 25.0%
Penalty kill · 2026-2775.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.7% · 5th
Faceoffs · 2026-2747.6% · 80/168
Drawn · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings16 (3.20/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
PP goals · last meetings4

Ottawa

Small sample
Power play · 2026-277.7%
Power play · 2025-2624.0% · 8th
Power play · last 5 meetings3/18 · 16.7%
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 meetings18 (3.60/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2713 (4.33/gm)
PP goals · last meetings3

Skaters

Roman Josi 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.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
91Steven Stamkos33141.33
21Nils Hoglander33031.00
18Tim Stützle33362.00
22Michael Amadio32131.00
19Drake Batherson32131.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
59Roman Josi31231.00
76Brady Skjei30110.33
47Jack Ahcan20110.50
72Thomas Chabot31120.67
Defencemen stats

Roman Josi vs Ottawa · game by game

See all: Roman Josi vs Ottawa · game by game →
DateVenueGAPSOGTOI
22 Jan 2026home011429:06
13 Oct 2025away011424:54
3 Feb 2025home011222:59
7 Dec 2024away000026:04
27 Feb 2024home213421:54
Last 5 meetings6 P2 G, 4 A · 14 SOG
Next best6 PRyan O'Reilly, NSH
2026-27 season3 P3 GP · 1 G
Blank vs OTT1 of 5
Full game log

Goaltending

Juuse Saros has started most of these meetings

Juuse Saros played 5 of the last 5 meetings with Ottawa, with a .921 save percentage. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

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

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

NSH · 1-1-1 in 2026-27 Starter not named

SV% · 2026-27.9073 GP · 2.95 GAA · 2025-26 .894
vs Ottawa.9215 app · 151 SA · 12 GA
GSAx · 2026-27+0.43 starts · most on the roster
vs OTTVenueSAGASV%
22 Jan 2026home263.885
13 Oct 2025away321.969
3 Feb 2025home384.895
7 Dec 2024away303.900
27 Feb 2024home251.960
Full game log

OTT · 2-0-0 in 2026-27 OutReturn 8 Oct

SV% · 2026-27.9492 GP · 1.20 GAA · 2025-26 .891
vs Nashville.9512 app · 61 SA · 3 GA
GSAx · 2026-27+3.42 starts · most on the roster
vs NSHVenueSAGASV%
13 Oct 2025home242.917
7 Dec 2024home371.973

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

Full game log

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.2 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

22 Jan 20268 · OTT 3–5 NSH
13 Oct 20255 · NSH 4–1 OTT
3 Feb 20257 · OTT 5–2 NSH
7 Dec 20244 · NSH 1–3 OTT
27 Feb 20245 · OTT 1–4 NSH

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Nashville2.333.003.013.28
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 suggest6.2Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings5.8Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

7 on the injury lists

Nashville · injuries

Justus AnnunenUndisclosedIRReturn13 Oct

Ottawa · injuries

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

Recalled G Matt Murray from Milwaukee (AHL). Placed G Justus Annunen on injured reserve.

4 Oct · NSH

Recalled LW Yegor Pinchuk from Milwaukee (AHL). Assigned G Matt Murray to Milwaukee.

3 Oct · NSH

Recalled G Matthew Murray from Milwaukee (AHL).

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
#10Wyatt CullenRound 1 · Usa U-18LW
#31Thomas BleylRound 1 · MonctonD
#70Dmitri BorichevRound 3 · Loko-76 YaroslavlG
#106Jakub FlorisRound 4 · Lukko Jr.D
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