Four men who have worn the ‘C’ for the Ottawa Senators will (likely) be in the building tonight at the CTC, but only two can emerge victorious. It’s Daniel Alfredsson and Brady Tkachuk’s Senators against Jason Spezza and Erik Karlsson’s Penguins in a collision that cuts deep for anyone who remembers 2017.
The Visitors
The Penguins (and their dads, because it’s Dad’s Trip) roll into town for the first meeting of the 2025-26 season riding a bit of a reality check. After a surprisingly hot start that had people wondering if Pittsburgh had found the fountain of youth, they’ve stumbled back to earth in Evgeni Malkin’s absence, going a middling 3-3-4 in their last ten games.
Their latest big roster move saw them complete the Jarry-for-Skinner swap with Edmonton – you know, that trade that got completely buried by the Quinn Hughes blockbuster the same day. In what was a deflating experience for the Penguins, their most recent game saw Skinner lose to both his former team and the Penguins’ former goalie, kicking off his Pittsburgh tenure with a thud.
Unfortunately, he won’t be facing the Senators tonight. Instead, they’ll turn to Artūrs Šilovs, who has never started against Ottawa before. After a strong start with the Penguins, Šilovs sits at 4-10-6 this season with a 3.20 GAA and .893 SV% – numbers that should have Senators fans feeling optimistic about their offensive chances.
And look, I was a massive Erik Karlsson fangirl back in the day, so it feels only right to acknowledge that he’s rocking 25 points in 32 games to start the season. He’s still got it.
The Home Side
The Senators picked up a big overtime win against the Jets on Monday, and another victory would go a long way toward proving to both the fans (and themselves) that they’re ready to climb out of their current rut.
Thankfully, the Sens have owned this matchup lately, going 7-2-1 in their last ten against Pittsburgh. Claude Giroux continues his personal vendetta against his former Metropolitan Division rivals, posting 13 points in his last ten games against the Pens. Meanwhile, tonight’s starter Linus Ullmark boasts a perfect 6-0-0 record against Pittsburgh with a 2.71 GAA and .921 save percentage. If he could keep that streak alive tonight, I would very much appreciate it.
Tonight also marks Tim Stützle’s 400th career game – a milestone made even more meaningful by the fact that he’s skating against the player whose trade made it all possible. At just 399 games in, Timmy already sits 10th all-time in franchise scoring. Here’s hoping he gifts himself a multi-point night to celebrate and climb even higher on that list.
Brady Tkachuk is also on watch for a milestone of his own, though not the kind anyone wants. He’s on a record-breaking streak of five consecutive games being the victim of a high stick. Not exactly the kind of run you want to extend, but at this point, anything is possible.
There is some good news and some bad news on the injury front. Thomas Chabot is back to practicing with the team but won’t play tonight, per Travis Green. His return seems imminent. Shane Pinto skated yesterday for the first time but remains out. Meanwhile, Lars Eller won’t return for at least three more weeks with a broken foot.
Watch on RDS2/TSN5, or listen at TSN 1200/104.7 Outaouais @ 7:00 PM E.T.
Projected Senators Lines
Brady Tkachuk – Tim Stützle – Fabian Zetterlund
David Perron – Dylan Cozens – Drake Batherson
Micheal Amadio – Ridly Greig – Claude Giroux
Kurtis MacDermid – Stephen Halliday – Nick Cousins
Jake Sanderson – Artem Zub
Tyler Kleven – Jordan Spence
Nikolas Matinpalo – Nick Jensen
Linus Ullmark
Injured: Thomas Chabot (upper body), Shane Pinto (lower body), Lars Eller (foot)
Scratched: Olle Lycksell, Dennis Gilbert
Projected Penguins Lines
Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust
Anthony Mantha – Tommy Novak – Justin Brazeau
Rutger McGroarty – Ben Kindel – Kevin Hayes
Connor Dewar – Danton Heinen – Noel Acciari
Parker Wotherspoon – Erik Karlsson
Ryan Shea – Kris Letang
Brett Kulak – Jack St. Ivany
Artūrs Šilovs
Injured: Evgeni Malkin (upper body), Blake Lizotte (upper body), Filip Hallander (lower body)
Scratched: Ryan Graves, Connor Clifton, Ville Koivunen
