The Ottawa Senators visit the New Jersey Devils on Monday, October 12, 2026, at Prudential Center in Newark. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET (Eastern Time), with Ottawa’s strong opening run and advantage in net set against New Jersey’s home ice, shot volume and dangerous power play.
Game Details
Matchup: Ottawa Senators at New Jersey Devils
Venue: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Date: Monday, October 12, 2026
Puck drop: 7:00 p.m. ET
The matchup remains listed on the Ottawa schedule, with no postponement or cancellation reported. New Jersey is finishing a three-game homestand before traveling to Detroit for the second half of a back-to-back. Ottawa does not enter this contest on consecutive nights.
Matchup Breakdown
Ottawa brings a 4-1-0 record into Newark, while New Jersey is 2-2-0 following a 4-1 victory over Vancouver. The Senators’ early success has been driven by strong goaltending and production throughout the lineup. Tim Stutzle leads that attack with four goals and four assists through five games.
The Devils have produced the stronger early shot differential. According to the supplied analysis, New Jersey has outshot its opponents 151-109, while Ottawa has been outshot 131-124. That creates the central tension in this matchup: the Senators have achieved better results, but the Devils have spent more time generating pressure and controlling the shot count.
Special teams could decide which advantage matters more. New Jersey scored three power-play goals against Vancouver, including two by Nico Hischier. Ottawa, however, has killed 18 of 23 opposing power plays. The Devils’ man advantage is capable of changing the game quickly, but it will face a penalty kill that has generally held up through the opening schedule.
Ottawa should still prioritize discipline. Giving New Jersey repeated power plays would expose a depleted defense and reduce the Senators’ ability to lean on their balanced five-on-five scoring. Conversely, if Ottawa keeps the game mostly at even strength, its advantage in goal becomes more influential.
Goalies and Injury Watch
Ottawa starter: Linus Ullmark is confirmed. Sportsnet reported Ullmark will start after he opened the season unbeaten through four starts with a 1.34 goals-against average and .942 save percentage. Those numbers come from a small sample, but they give Ottawa the clearest individual advantage in the matchup.
New Jersey projected starter: Nico Daws. Daws is expected, but not confirmed, to start. In his only appearance referenced in the research, he allowed six goals on 32 shots for an .813 save percentage. One difficult outing is not enough to define his season, though the uncertainty surrounding New Jersey’s crease is significant against a Senators team that has started quickly.
Ottawa will be without defensemen Artem Zub and Jake Sanderson, while William Eklund, Cameron Crotty and Kurtis MacDermid are also sidelined. Jorian Donovan has been recalled to add defensive depth. The absences of Zub and Sanderson are particularly relevant against New Jersey’s forecheck and power play.
For the Devils, Connor Brown, Seamus Casey and Nick Bjugstad are unavailable. Luke Evangelista is day-to-day with an illness, so his status remains unconfirmed. Johnathan Kovacevic has cleared injured reserve and could be available. The latest personnel updates are summarized in the linked game preview.
Odds and Betting Considerations
Odds captured from Sportsbet on the afternoon of October 12, 2026, listed New Jersey as the 1.75 moneyline favorite and Ottawa at 2.08 in decimal odds. The Senators were +1.5 at 1.45, while the Devils were -1.5 at 2.78. Sportsbet’s total was 5.5 goals, with the over at 1.77 and the under at 2.06.
The Ottawa moneyline is the most interesting option at those prices, but it is not without risk. New Jersey’s shot advantage, home ice and recently productive power play provide reasonable support for its favorite status. Ottawa’s case rests heavily on Ullmark outperforming the projected Daws and compensating for the Senators’ missing defensemen.
The total is less appealing because the competing indicators point in different directions. Ullmark and Ottawa’s penalty kill support a lower-scoring game, while New Jersey’s power play and Ottawa’s defensive injuries create clear paths to more offense.
Prediction
Prediction: Senators 3, Devils 2.
New Jersey may control more of the shot volume, but Ottawa has the more dependable goaltending setup and has already demonstrated an ability to turn balanced scoring into results. Ullmark is the decisive factor in a narrow Senators pick, making Ottawa at 2.08 the preferred moneyline lean at the cited Sportsbet price.
The main uncertainty is Ottawa’s depleted blue line. If the Senators take penalties or struggle to exit their zone, the Devils have enough pressure and special-teams ability to reverse the matchup. This projects as a close game rather than a comfortable road win.
