Ottawa beat Florida 5-1 last night and plays again tonight. Linus Ullmark, who has the best save percentage of any goaltender with eight starts, is day to day. Below: our call, who is fit, and what the Canadian books are offering.
How to watch
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Game | San Jose Sharks at Ottawa Senators |
| Date | Thursday 22 October 2026 |
| Puck drop | 7:00pm ET |
| Venue | Canadian Tire Centre |
| Records | San Jose 5-4-1, Ottawa 7-3-0 |
Check your provider before puck drop: coverage varies by region and some parts of Canada are blacked out. We keep the full breakdown on our how to watch the NHL in Canada page.
Sharks vs Senators odds
Moneyline prices from 4 Canadian sportsbooks, captured on 2026-10-21. American odds throughout.
| Sportsbook | San Jose | Ottawa |
|---|---|---|
| Betano (CA – ON) | +102 | −133 |
| PROLINE (CA – ON) | +100 | −143 |
| PlayNow (CA) | +110 | −132 |
| Sports Interaction (CA – ON) | +105 | −125 |
These are stored prices rather than live ones, and a hockey line moves the moment a starting goaltender is confirmed, so check before you bet. Our NHL betting sites page sets out which operates where, and who is expected in net is on our projected NHL starting goalies page.
Ottawa is 7-3-0 and the goaltending is the reason
The Senators have won four of five and beat Florida 5-1 on Wednesday. That record sits on a goal difference of plus five. For a club ninth in the league that is modest, and the gap between the two numbers is Ullmark.
He has a .945 across eight starts and a 6-1-0 record. Anton Ersson has the other two at a .831. That is not a tandem, it is a starter and a deputy. His day-to-day status therefore matters more than a single name usually would.
Thomas Chabot is out until at least 27 October with an upper-body injury. William Eklund is gone until January with an ankle problem. Both are losses Ottawa has already been absorbing.
How they compare
| 2025-26 | San Jose Sharks | Ottawa Senators |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 39-35-8 | 44-27-11 |
| Points | 86 | 99 |
| Goals for per game | 3.06 | 3.39 |
| Goals against per game | 3.56 | 3.00 |
| Power play | 21.2% | 24.0% |
| Penalty kill | 76.4% | 75.7% |
Ottawa finished thirteen points clear of San Jose last season, scored more and conceded half a goal a game less. The penalty kill is the one column where the Sharks were the better of the two, and neither was good at it.
San Jose has had a day off and Ottawa has not
The Sharks are 5-4-1 and won 4-3 in Montréal on Tuesday, Macklin Celebrini scoring twice and setting up another. They were outshot 34-30 and won anyway.
Before that they had lost in Toronto and in Detroit, both on the road, as part of a long eastern trip. This is the last game of it.
The schedule argument cuts the other way tonight. San Jose had Wednesday off and Ottawa did not. We leaned on a tiredness read against these same Sharks on Tuesday and Celebrini beat it. That is worth remembering before making the same argument twice.
Ottawa has won four of the last five
| Date | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 15 Mar 2026 | Ottawa 7-4 | Ottawa |
| 22 Nov 2025 | Ottawa 3-2 | San Jose |
| 1 Mar 2025 | Ottawa 5-3 | Ottawa |
| 27 Nov 2024 | Ottawa 4-3 | San Jose |
| 9 Mar 2024 | San Jose 2-1 | Ottawa |
San Jose leads the all-time series narrowly, 25 wins to 24. Ottawa has won four of the last five, including 7-4 at the Canadian Tire Centre in March.
Those five meetings produced 11, 5, 8, 7 and 3 goals, an average of 6.8. Three of the five cleared a line of 6.5.
Team news
| Club | Player | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Ottawa | Linus Ullmark | Day to day, lower body |
| Ottawa | Thomas Chabot | Out, upper body, to 27 October |
| Ottawa | William Eklund | Out, ankle, on injured reserve to January |
| Ottawa | Kurtis MacDermid | Out, upper body, on injured reserve |
| San Jose | Alexander Wennberg | Day to day, upper body |
| San Jose | Quentin Musty | Out, upper body, long term |
| San Jose | Kyle Keyser | Out, upper body, long term |
Who starts in goal is an open question. San Jose Sharks has split between Askarov (6 starts, .865) and Nedeljkovic (4, .917), and Ottawa Senators has split between Ullmark (8 starts, .945) and Ersson (2, .831). Neither number is a promise about tonight, and the line moves the moment a club confirms its starter.
The full league picture is on our NHL injury report.
Players to watch
Linus Ullmark, Ottawa. A .945 across eight starts, and day to day. Check the morning skate before you back either side.
Macklin Celebrini, San Jose. Two goals and an assist in Montréal on Tuesday.
Anton Ersson, Ottawa. Two starts at a .831, and the reason the Ullmark question is the whole game.
Score prediction
Ottawa Senators 4-3 San Jose Sharks. Ottawa is much the better side on the season, but the back-to-back and the goaltending question both pull the other way.
Sharks vs Senators prediction
Ottawa is the side we would take. It is 7-3-0 and at home. San Jose is finishing a long road trip with a minus eight goal difference.
Two things make this closer than 7-3-0 against 5-4-1 suggests. Ottawa played last night and San Jose did not. If Ullmark does not dress, the drop to Ersson is severe. Our lean: Ottawa, and the over if the total sits at 6 or lower. The last five meetings averaged 6.8 goals and Ottawa has scored five, four and seven in three of its last four at home.
We rank all 32 each week in the NHL power rankings; the NHL schedule has the rest of Thursday’s games.
Puck drop is 7:00pm ET on Thursday 22 October 2026 at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.
He is day to day with a lower-body injury. He has a .945 across eight starts and the alternative is Anton Ersson at a .831. This is the single biggest question on the game, so check the morning skate.
Yes. Ottawa beat Florida 5-1 at home on Wednesday night and plays San Jose on Thursday. San Jose had Wednesday off.
San Jose leads the all-time series 25 wins to 24. Ottawa has won four of the last five meetings.
Ottawa to win 4-3, and the over if the total sits at 6 or lower.
19+ (18+ in AB, MB and QC). Picks are opinion, not advice, and odds change constantly. Availability varies by province. Please play responsibly. ConnexOntario: 1-866-531-2600 for Ontario residents; see your province’s helpline for resources elsewhere.