Early look The full preview opens on Monday 22 February, 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

Detroit Red Wings at Ottawa Senators: game preview

Puck drop25 Feb · 7:00 PM ET
VenueCanadian Tire Centre
All-time meetings75 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Seven points apart last season

Detroit finished last season 16th in the league on 92 points. Ottawa finished 9th on 99, and the 2025-26 season series went DET 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 76

Across 75 completed games, Detroit lead the head-to-head 39-30-5.

All-time record39-30-5Detroit's record in the series
Meetings played75This is number 76
2025-26 seriesDET 3-1-0
Last 54-1Detroit
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
6 OctOTT 3 – DET 525–36OTT 1/5 · DET 2/5DET
24 Mar 2026OTT 3 – DET 221–35OTT 1/2 · DET 1/4OTT
26 Feb 2026DET 2 – OTT 1 OT20–27DET 1/2 · OTT 1/2DET
18 Jan 2026OTT 3 – DET 4 OT22–34OTT 2/3 · DET 2/5DET
5 Jan 2026DET 5 – OTT 321–37DET 1/5 · OTT 1/6DET
Head-to-head finder

The table on each meeting night

DateDetroitOttawa
5 Jan 202625-15-4 · 54 pts4th20-16-5 · 45 pts20th
18 Jan 202630-16-4 · 64 pts4th22-19-7 · 51 pts21st
26 Feb 202632-16-5 · 69 pts4th24-21-7 · 55 pts25th
24 Mar 202638-25-8 · 84 pts13th38-24-9 · 85 pts11th
6 Oct1-2-0 · 2 pts26th2-1-0 · 4 pts11th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 5 Jan 2026, Detroit were 4th in the league and Ottawa 20th. By 6 Oct it was 26th and 11th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Detroit out-attempted Ottawa 297 to 285

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

Detroit Red Wings

297 att · 146 on goal · 18 G · 12.3%
Crease19 att · 1 G
Slot108 att · 10 G
Wing117 att · 6 G
Point43 att · 1 G
Neutral zone10 att · 0 G

Ottawa Senators

285 att · 132 on goal · 13 G · 9.8%
Crease22 att · 5 G
Slot111 att · 7 G
Wing101 att · 1 G
Point45 att · 0 G
Neutral zone6 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.

DetroitOttawa
3.23xG for per game2.95
2.85xG against per game3.41
53.1%xG share46.4%
−2.7FinishingGoals minus expected goals+1.1
+0.6GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+2.2

This season: 3 games for Detroit, 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

Detroit

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2725.0%
Power play · 2025-2622.6% · 12th
Power play · last 5 meetings7/21 · 33.3%
Penalty kill · 2026-2761.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2677.1% · 23rd
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.6% · 97/181
Drawn · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings21 (4.20/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2713 (4.33/gm)
PP goals · last meetings7

Ottawa

Small sample
Power play · 2026-277.7%
Power play · 2025-2624.0% · 8th
Power play · last 5 meetings6/18 · 33.3%
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 meetings6

Skaters

Lucas Raymond has 8 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
93Alex DeBrincat32241.33
23Lucas Raymond30331.00
18Tim Stützle33362.00
22Michael Amadio32131.00
19Drake Batherson32131.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
72Justin Faulk31120.67
53Moritz Seider30110.33
72Thomas Chabot31120.67
Defencemen stats

Lucas Raymond vs Ottawa · game by game

See all: Lucas Raymond vs Ottawa · game by game →
DateVenueGAPSOGTOI
6 Octhome033619:47
24 Mar 2026home011122:04
26 Feb 2026away022420:42
18 Jan 2026home101214:21
5 Jan 2026away101314:18
Last 5 meetings8 P2 G, 6 A · 16 SOG
Next best7 PDylan Larkin, DET
2026-27 season3 P3 GP · 0 G
Blank vs OTT0 of 5A point in every meeting
Full game log

Goaltending

John Gibson has started most of these meetings

John Gibson played 5 of the last 5 meetings with Ottawa, with a .902 save percentage. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 23 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

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

DET · 1-2-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 22 Feb

SV% · 2026-27.9033 GP · 2.38 GAA · 2025-26 .901
vs Ottawa.9025 app · 132 SA · 13 GA
GSAx · 2026-27+0.43 starts · most on the roster
vs OTTVenueSAGASV%
6 Octhome253.880
24 Mar 2026home213.857
26 Feb 2026away271.963
18 Jan 2026home223.864
5 Jan 2026away373.919
Full game log

OTT · 2-0-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 22 Feb

SV% · 2026-27.9492 GP · 1.20 GAA · 2025-26 .891
vs Detroit.9272 app · 55 SA · 4 GA
GSAx · 2026-27+3.42 starts · most on the roster
vs DETVenueSAGASV%
24 Mar 2026away352.943
26 Feb 2026home202.900

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

Full game log

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

6 Oct8 · OTT 3–5 DET
24 Mar 20265 · OTT 3–2 DET
26 Feb 20263 · DET 2–1 OTT
18 Jan 20267 · OTT 3–4 DET
5 Jan 20268 · DET 5–3 OTT

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Detroit2.332.672.943.15
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

13 on the injury lists

Detroit · injuries

Carter BearUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct
Chase StillmanUndisclosedIRReturn9 Oct
J.T. CompherUndisclosedOutReturn9 Oct
Jacob Bernard-DockerUpper BodyIRReturn9 Oct
Marco KasperUpper BodyIRReturn20 Oct
Mason AppletonUndisclosedIRReturn13 Oct
Simon EdvinssonContract DisputeOutReturn10 Oct

Ottawa · injuries

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

Placed F Dylan Larkin on the non-roster injured reserve.

25 Sep · DET

Assigned Fs Ondrej Becher, Cameron Butler, Sheldon Dries, Noah Dower Nilsson, Dylan James, Jesse Kiiskinen, John Leonard, Sutter Muzzatti, Theo Rochette, Dominik Shine and Wilmer Skoog, Ds Ronnie Attard, Jacob Bryson, Shai Buium and William Lagesson and Gs Trey Augustine and Michal Postava to Grand Rapids (AHL).

20 Aug 2026 · DET

Acquired F Sutter Muzzatti from Nashville Predators for future considerations.

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
#23Jeffrey (JP) HurlbertRound 1 · KamloopsLW
#47Victor PlanteRound 2 · Usa U-18LW
#79Michal OrsulakRound 3 · Prince AlbertG
#108Adam LevacRound 4 · PeterboroughC
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