After two road games in the Sunshine State to begin the 2025-26 season, the Ottawa Senators are now home to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving. Now, the Nashville Predators make their way to Canada's capital.
With the home opener now arriving, the Senators will be backed behind a warm home crowd in a thankful and happy mood with it being Thanksgiving, but defending home ice will be a must with a new season that just began four days ago.
Sens host Preds in home opener
The Senators host the Predators at Canadian Tire Centre with puck drop scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
In the Senators' most recent game on Saturday night, the team suffered a brutal 6-2 loss to the Florida Panthers to fall to 1-1-0 on the season. After Shane Pinto scored a goal to cut the Senators' deficit to 2-1 heading into the first intermission, the Panthers scored four unanswered goals afterward. The first three goals were powerplay goals. Pinto did add another goal in the game to have four goals on the season.
So far, the Predators are to 1-0-1 begin the 2025-26 season. The Predators fell in their last game 3-2 in overtime against the Utah Mammoth on Saturday night. Both Erik Haula and Filip Forsberg lead Nashville with two points so far this season. Predators goaltender Juuse Saros has a1.00 goals against average and .935 save percentage in his two starts the season.
The Senators and Predators played two games against each other last season. The Senators won both games to sweep the season series. In the two games combined, the Senators outscored the Predators 8-3.
Excitement will be buzzing today with it being the Senators' home opener. Last season, the Senators were a dominant team on home ice with having a 27-11-3 home record. With a dominant home record from last season, it's an area that the Senators will be eager to have success again this season.
Along with having a solid home record from last season, today is the first of seven home games over the next 10 games to conclude October. Nashville is one of eight teams that didn't make the 2025 playoffs that the Senators have on the schedule to conclude the month.
Defenseman Tyler Kleven is expected to make his return to the lineup for today's game, but Drake Batherson will remain to be out. Kleven and Batherson missed the first two games of Ottawa's season.