Eleven games into the 2025-26 season, the Ottawa Senators have a 5-5-1 overall record. Tomorrow night, the Senators will host the Calgary Flames at Canadian Tire Centre at 7 p.m. ET to finish October.
Last night, the Senators suffered a brutal 7-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on the road at United Center. After scoring seven goals in back-to-back games, the Senators then allowed in seven goals in their very next game.
Halloween season is here everywhere in the world. United Center may be nicknamed the "Madhouse on Madison," but it might be nicknamed the "Madhouse of Horror" for the Senators with history against them in the building.
Senators have brutal road struggles when they play Blackhawks in the Windy City for nearly 2.5 decades
In a stat that might sound murky, with the loss last night in Chicago, the Senators have now lost 13 of their last 15 games in United Center.
Sometimes in hockey, some teams no matter the record have struggles playing in a certain arena. It might be best to say that United Center is an arena the Senators just have difficulty playing at as an away team.
Last season, the Senators won in Chicago for the first time since December 2016. The win in Chicago may have brought irony because the 2016-17 season was the last time the Senators made the playoffs before last season, and the Senators earned a win in Chicago.
Prior to the win in the 2016-17 season, the Senators' last win in Chicago was in March 2001. In a 24-year span, having two wins is a more than a struggle to say the least. Even with the Blackhawks not making the playoffs since 2017, the Senators still have had struggles to win in Chicago.
Last night, Connor Bedard gave the Senators some spooky scares with Halloween in two days. Bedard recorded his first career hat trick in the Blackhawks' four-goal win. Bedard then added an assist to finish the game with a four-point game.
The good news for the Senators they don't play in Chicago for the remainder of the season. However, with the Blackhawks being a team slowly improving and in the Western Conference's second Wild Card seed as of Oct. 29, the Senators will need to earn wins in Chicago down the road.