Early look · NHL 2026-27

New York Rangers at Ottawa Senators: game preview

NY RangersRangers2026-27: 4-1-0 · 8 pts · 2025-26: 34-39-9 · 77 pts · 30that

OttawaSenators2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 44-27-11 · 99 pts · 9th

Puck drop24 Oct · 7:00 PM ET

VenueCanadian Tire Centre

All-time meetings130 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Twenty-two points apart last season

NY Rangers finished last season 30th in the league on 77 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 131

Across 130 completed games, Ottawa lead the head-to-head 67-52-11.

All-time record67-52-11Ottawa's record in the series

Meetings played130This is number 131

2025-26 series—

Last 53-2Ottawa

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

23 Mar 2026OTT 2 – NYR 1——OTT

14 Jan 2026OTT 8 – NYR 4——OTT

4 Dec 2025NYR 4 – OTT 2——NYR

8 Mar 2025NYR 3 – OTT 4 OT——OTT

21 Jan 2025OTT 0 – NYR 5——NYR

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNY RangersOttawa

4 Dec 202515-12-2 · 32 pts13th13-10-4 · 30 pts20th

14 Jan 202620-22-6 · 46 pts27th22-19-5 · 49 pts22nd

23 Mar 202628-34-9 · 65 pts31st37-24-9 · 83 pts13th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 4 Dec 2025, NY Rangers were 13th in the league and Ottawa 20th. By 23 Mar 2026 it was 31st and 13th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Ottawa out-attempted NY Rangers 170 to 143

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

New York Rangers

143 att · 60 on goal · 9 G · 15.0%

Crease12 att · 2 G

Slot52 att · 3 G

Wing51 att · 4 G

Point21 att · 0 G

Neutral zone7 att · 0 G

Ottawa Senators

170 att · 90 on goal · 12 G · 13.3%

Crease15 att · 2 G

Slot60 att · 6 G

Wing72 att · 2 G

Point18 att · 2 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.

NY RangersOttawa

3.44xG for per game2.95

2.77xG against per game3.41

55.4%xG share46.4%

−1.2FinishingGoals minus expected goals+1.1

+5.8GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+2.2

This season: 5 games for NY Rangers, 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

NY Rangers

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2721.4%

Power play · 2025-2624.7% · 5th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2787.5%

Penalty kill · 2025-2679.9% · 15th

Faceoffs · 2026-2752.2% · 151/289

Drawn · 2026-2714 (2.80/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2716 (3.20/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.

Forwards to watch

See all: Forwards to watch →

PlayerGPGAPP/GP

13Alexis Lafrenière53251.00

93Mika Zibanejad51451.00

94Gabe Perreault52240.80

18Tim Stützle33362.00

22Michael Amadio32131.00

19Drake Batherson32131.00

Points leaders

Defencemen to watch

See all: Defencemen to watch →

PlayerGPGAPP/GP

23Adam Fox50551.00

44Vladislav Gavrikov51340.80

5Sean Durzi51120.40

72Thomas Chabot31120.67

26Carter Yakemchuk30110.33

5Cameron Crotty20000.00

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 →

NY Rangers

Expected starter after their game on 22 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Ottawa

Expected starter after their game on 22 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

NY Rangers crease

NYR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 21 Oct

Igor Shesterkin.9264 GP · 3-1-0 · GSAx +4.6

Dylan Garand1.0001 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +1.4

No appearances against Ottawa in the last meetings.

Ottawa crease

OTT · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 21 Oct

Linus Ullmark.9492 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +3.4

Samuel Ersson.8862 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −0.9

No appearances against NY Rangers in the last meetings.

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.0 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

23 Mar 20263 · OTT 2–1 NYR

14 Jan 202612 · OTT 8–4 NYR

4 Dec 20256 · NYR 4–2 OTT

8 Mar 20257 · NYR 3–4 OTT

21 Jan 20255 · OTT 0–5 NYR

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

NY Rangers3.201.602.903.05

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 suggest6.0Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings6.6Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

10 on the injury lists

NY Rangers · injuries

Adam SykoraLower BodyIRReturn25 Jan

Aidan ThompsonUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct

Joe VelenoLower BodyIRReturn13 Oct

Joonas KorpisaloLower BodyIRReturn9 Oct

Ottawa · injuries

Andre BurakovskyUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct

Artem ZubKneeIRReturn10 Oct

Blake MontgomeryUndisclosedIRReturn8 Oct

Jake SandersonLower BodyOutReturn8 Oct

Kurtis MacDermidUpper BodyIRReturn31 Oct

Linus UllmarkUndisclosedOutReturn8 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

6 Oct · NYR

Recalled C Gabriel Beaudoin from Hartford (AHL). Placed C Joe Veleno on injured reserve.

5 Oct · NYR

Placed D Matthew Robertson on waivers.

1 Oct · NYR

Placed G Joonas Korpisalo on injured reserve. Recalled G Dylan Garand from Hartford (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

NY Rangers · 2026 draft

See all: NY Rangers · 2026 draft →

#5Alberts SmitsRound 1 · MunchenD

#64Benjamin MacBeathRound 2 · CalgaryD

#67Danai ShaiikovRound 3 · GatineauG

#77Charlie MorrisonRound 3 · QuebecD

Full draft

Ottawa · 2026 draft

See all: Ottawa · 2026 draft →

#25Jonas Lagerberg HoenRound 1 · Leksand Jr.RW

#32Jaxon CoverRound 1 · LondonRW

#72Adam NemecRound 3 · SudburyLW

#87Oscar HolmertzRound 3 · Linkoping Jr.C

Full draft

Saturday 24 October · the full slate

See all: Saturday 24 October · the full slate →

OTTThis game 7:00 PM ET

Updated after every final