Result: Ottawa Senators 4-1 New Jersey Devils
Shane Pinto scored nine seconds into the second period. Stephen Halliday added a power-play goal and Tim Stützle made it three before Arseny Gritsyuk got New Jersey on the board with five minutes left. Tyler Kleven restored the three-goal margin almost immediately. The first period finished goalless.
Our pick: Ottawa. Correct. We called 3-2 and it finished 4-1, which is the right side and a wider margin than we expected against a New Jersey team we said could not score. Five goals, under the 6 we named.
The preview as published before the game follows.
New Jersey has six goals in three games and three defencemen unavailable. Jack Hughes has one of those goals.
Devils vs Senators falls on Thanksgiving Monday, and it brings a club that cannot score against one that has conceded nine in four.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Game | Ottawa Senators at New Jersey Devils |
| Date | Monday 12 October 2026 |
| Puck drop | 7:00pm ET · 6:00pm CT · 5:00pm MT · 4:00pm PT |
| Venue | Prudential Center, New Jersey |
| 2025-26 head to head | New Jersey won two of three |
| Records | Ottawa 3-1-0, New Jersey 1-2-0 |
| Goals this season | Ottawa 12 for, 9 against; New Jersey 6 for, 13 against |
| Rest | Ottawa with 1 day off, New Jersey with 1 day off |
How to watch
| Region | Broadcast |
|---|---|
| Canada | SN+, TVA Sports |
| United States | NHLN, MSGSN |
SN+ and TVA Sports have it in Canada. Regional coverage can differ from the national listing, and our how to watch the NHL in Canada page has the full picture.
Devils vs Senators odds
Nothing posted in Canada on 9 October. Boards appear on our NHL odds page as they land, and the projected starters are on our NHL starting goalies page.
New Jersey cannot score and cannot field a blue line
Six goals in three games. Jesper Bratt has two assists and no goals. Jack Hughes has one goal. For a club assembled to outscore people, that is the whole problem.
Three defencemen are unavailable. Seamus Casey is six to eight weeks away after a knee procedure, Johnathan Kovacevic started the season on the injured list and Jonas Siegenthaler is day to day.
Luke Evangelista leads the scoring with three points. Dougie Hamilton has two from defence and is playing more minutes than anyone would choose in October.
Jake Allen has taken two of three starts at .875. Nico Daws took the other and stopped 13 of 16.
How they compare
| 2025-26 | Ottawa Senators | New Jersey Devils |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 44-27-11 | 42-37-3 |
| Points | 99 | 87 |
| Goals for per game | 3.35 | 2.76 |
| Goals against per game | 2.99 | 3.09 |
| Power play | 24.0% | 22.0% |
| Penalty kill | 75.7% | 79.3% |
Twelve points separated these clubs last season and Ottawa has started far better.
Ottawa has the goaltender and a thinning defence
Linus Ullmark is 3-0-0 at .956. He was day to day for most of last week, started against Philadelphia on Thursday and made 28 saves on 29 in a 2-1 win.
Tim Stützle has six points in four games. Claude Giroux and Shane Pinto have three apiece and Michael Amadio has three.
The blue line is the concern. Jake Sanderson is out rather than day to day, Artem Zub is on injured reserve, and that is 84 points of production from defence missing between them.
Thomas Chabot wears the C now that Brady Tkachuk has gone to Florida, and he is carrying more minutes than he did last season.
New Jersey took two of three last season
| Date | Result | Venue | Total goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-12-09 | New Jersey 4-3 Ottawa | Ottawa | 7 |
| 2026-01-31 | New Jersey 1-4 Ottawa | Ottawa | 5 |
| 2026-04-12 | New Jersey 4-3 Ottawa | New Jersey | 7 |
Both New Jersey wins were by a single goal. Ottawa’s was 4-1 at home in January.
Team news
| Player | Club | Status | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Sanderson | Ottawa | Out, Lower Body | No timetable |
| William Eklund | Ottawa | Day to day | Check the morning skate |
| Artem Zub | Ottawa | Injured Reserve, Knee | No timetable |
| Andre Burakovsky | Ottawa | Injured Reserve, Upper Body | No timetable |
| Seamus Casey | New Jersey | Injured Reserve, Knee | No timetable |
| Johnathan Kovacevic | New Jersey | Injured Reserve, Knee | No timetable |
| Jonas Siegenthaler | New Jersey | Day to day | Check the morning skate |
| Connor Brown | New Jersey | Out, Undisclosed | No timetable |
| Nick Bjugstad | New Jersey | Injured Reserve, Undisclosed | No timetable |
Five New Jersey names, three of them defencemen, and Sanderson is the one Ottawa will feel. League-wide availability is on our NHL injury report.
Players to watch
Linus Ullmark. Three starts, three wins, .956. Ottawa has not lost a game he has finished.
Jack Hughes. One goal in three games. New Jersey’s season turns on him finding another gear.
Tim Stützle. Six points in four and the first name on Ottawa’s sheet.
Dougie Hamilton. Holding together a defence that has lost three men.
Score prediction
Ottawa Senators 3-2 New Jersey Devils. Ottawa has the better goaltender and the healthier forward group. New Jersey has home ice and a history of winning tight games in this matchup.
Devils vs Senators prediction
Ottawa is the better team right now. It has won three of four, Ullmark is stopping almost everything, and New Jersey has scored six goals all season.
The case for New Jersey is that it took two of three last season, both by one goal, and that Ottawa arrives without Sanderson and Zub on the blue line.
If Hughes and Bratt start producing, this changes quickly. Neither has yet.
Our lean: Ottawa, and the under if the total sits at 6 or higher. New Jersey has six goals in three games and Ottawa has conceded nine in four. Where each sits is on our NHL power rankings.
Puck drop is 7:00pm ET on Monday 12 October 2026 at the Prudential Center in Newark.
He is fit. Ullmark was day to day last week, started against Philadelphia on Thursday and made 28 saves on 29. He is 3-0-0 at a .956 save percentage.
Three. Seamus Casey is six to eight weeks away after a knee procedure, Johnathan Kovacevic is on injured reserve and Jonas Siegenthaler is day to day.
New Jersey won two of the three, both by a single goal. Ottawa won 4-1 at home in January.
Ottawa is 3-1-0 with 12 goals in four games. New Jersey is 1-2-0 with six.
19+ (18+ in AB, MB and QC). Odds are approximate at the time of writing and changeconstantly. Availability varies by province. Please play responsibly. ConnexOntario: 1-866-531-2600 for Ontario residents; see your province’s helpline for resources elsewhere.