With Thomas Chabot officially wearing a ‘C’ on his jersey for the first time at the Canadian Tire Centre last night, the Chabtain era has officially begun in Ottawa. Despite last night’s effort being the club’s fourth regular season game, it was finally their home opener in front of a sold out crowd of 17,000+. Although the club was able to muster up a 2-1 win and hand the Philadelphia Flyers their fifth consecutive loss, it wasn’t the prettiest of games.
Testing the roster's depth early
With the Senators having arguably some of the most depth on their roster across the NHL, it was nice to have their scoring come from some unusual suspects. After mocking Detroit Red Wings centre Dylan Larkin about him being stripped of his captaincy in the Motor City, Nick Cousins used that as a boost and scored the first goal of the season at home for the Senators in the middle of the first period. In the third period, rookie defenceman Carter Yakemchuk sent a rocket of a shot behind Flyers’ goaltender Joseph Woll on the power play, which ended up securing the win for the Senators.
Carter Yakemchuk with a bomb from the point to put the @Senators ahead! 💪 pic.twitter.com/oGIwwXUgyG
— NHL (@NHL) October 9, 2026
With an assist on Yakemchuk’s goal, Shane Pinto was one of the most noticeable players on the ice for the Senators. With 22:57 of ice time, he led the forward group and was able to accumulate two shots, a block and a hit. He was noticeable on each of his shifts and in particular on the penalty kill where he was intercepting passes and knocking the puck out of the zone.
Linus Ullmark once again showed his Vezina calibre play with 28 saves and an astonishing 0.966 save percentage. This now brings him to three straight wins on the season. The confidence that he is playing with right now between the pipes is a breath of fresh air for Senators fans and the organization. Heading into the 2026-2027 season, this was one of the biggest question marks that they had with Ullmark’s inconsistency last season. Since returning from his leave in January, he has been playing exactly the way that the club has needed him to play. With injuries piling up on the blue line, knowing that they have reliable goaltending gives the team some much needed reassurance.
Time to step up
The injuries, however, are not just on the blue line, however. Off-season acquisition from the Brady Tkachuk trade, William Eklund exited the game midway through the opening frame after a hit from Flyers defenceman Samuel Benoit. He was unable to put weight on his left leg and needed help getting off of the ice. With a possible left ankle injury, the injury woes continue as he joins a never-ending list for the Senators. It is expected, though not confirmed, that he will be out for the foreseeable future.
William Eklund left the game after this play and was unable to put any weight on his leg. pic.twitter.com/M2R2qOZ6qE
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 8, 2026
Losing Eklund was evident in the Senators' power play, which went 1/5. Other than the Yakemchuk game-winning bomb, the powerplay was lacklustre, and the Senators need to capitalize on these opportunities more going forward. After eighteen powerplay opportunities across four games, they only have two powerplay goals. With Yakemchuk quarterbacking the powerplay in Jake Sanderson’s absence, there needs to be more offensive power and a stronger netfront presence.
The Senators have been off to a blazing start, winning three of their first four games, but the depth will continue to be tested going forward.
Add us as a preferred source on Google