Tonight, the Ottawa Senators host the Dallas Stars at 7 p.m. ET at Canadian Tire Centre, looking to improve their 8-5-3 overall record. Through 16 games, some people may find it a shocker that the Senators currently sit in third place in the Atlantic Division with 19 points.
Bleacher Report has been critical of the Senators this season. From the Senators' goaltending, to an average grade on the latest report card and now Bleacher Report gave the Senators one word that perfectly describes the first month of this season.
Oof is right
Today, Bleacher Report's Sara Civian wrote an article titled "1 Word For Every NHL Team After the 1st Month of the 2025-26 Season." For the Senators' one word, Civian simply said "oof."
"It's been a rough start for the Senators, who have been without Brady Tkachuk for the majority of the season, and who keep benching Jordan Spence for some reason," Civian said. "The biggest disappointment of all has been Linus Ullmark, who has a league-worst -7.8 goals saved above expected."
The fact that the Senators are in third place in the Atlantic Division without Tkachuk says a lot about the team. In Tkachuk's absence, Tim Stutzle, Shane Pinto, Dylan Cozens, Drake Batherson and Claude Giroux have made up for the offense up front. However, having the captain in the lineup makes the Senators a much better team.
The Jordan Spence scratching sure has been confusing for most. Spence has been more productive in his career than Nikolas Matinpalo. But, head coach Travis Green has played Matinpalo over Spence more.
Recently, that may be changing with Spence's production. Spence has played in the past two games and contributed to wins. This past Sunday against the Utah Mammoth, Spence recorded his first goal as a Senator.
Ullmark is a big topic of the Senators' struggles. Ullmark's second season in Ottawa has been brutal. Over a week ago, Ullmark was named the worst goaltender in the NHL by MoneyPuck.
This season, Ullmark has a 6-4-3 record with a 3.24 GAA and .866 save percentage in 13 starts. If Ullmark continues to struggle, the Senators could find themselves fighting to make the playoffs.
At some point, Ullmark will have to get hot this season. When Ullmark does, it will make the Senators a much better team. Tonight's game against the Stars at home will be another big test for the Senators early into the season.