(Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images) Steve Warne Sat, October 24, 2026 at 2:59 PM UTC · 5 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Senators and the New York Rangers have plenty in common heading into Saturday night's matchup at Canadian Tire Centre.
Both teams have enjoyed reasonably strong starts to the season, both are coming off disappointing losses on Thursday night, and both are dealing with injuries to their starting goaltenders.
The difference is that the Senators expect to have Linus Ullmark back in a couple of weeks, while the Rangers have lost Igor Shesterkin for the rest of the season.
Ullmark suffered his injury during Wednesday night's incredibly emotional 5-1 victory over Brady Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers.
Ullmark has been playing out of his mind, posting a 7-1-0 record with a 1.33 goals-against average and a .945 save percentage.
Without him, the Senators will have to rely on Samuel Ersson and Jonas Johansson to hold down the fort. Ersson was signed as the main backup in the offseason after two below average seasons in Philadelphia.
The Sens goalie coaches saw something beyond the statistics and the fan base would like to see it too.
Ersson has struggled badly in the early stages of his first season with the club. In five appearances, he has an 0-3-0 record, a 4.59 goals-against average, and an .835 save percentage.
Johansson also had some pretty mediocre stats the past couple of seasons in Tampa, and was presumably brought in under the same circumstances: with the hope that he's better than his numbers indicate. He has yet to make an NHL appearance this season.
Now that the echoes of Trash Brady Night have cleared out of the CTC, this is the final game at home for the Sens, who begin a five game Western road trip on Tuesday in Vegas. It's a trip that might reveal whether the Sens truly belong in the top three in the Atlantic or back to battling a swarm of bubble teams for a Wild Card.
The Rangers are facing a similar goaltending challenge. But their guy isn't coming back this season.
Shesterkin's season-ending injury has forced the Blueshirts k to turn to 24-year-old Dylan Garand, who's been everything they could ask out of their backup. Garand has appeared in eight games, posting a 4-3-1 record, a 2.30 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage.
Those are impressive numbers for a young goaltender who's suddenly a number one.
The Senators enter Saturday's game with a 7-4-0 record after Thursday night's 6-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks.
The Rangers are coming off a disappointing result of their own, falling 5-4 to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.
New York enters the game with a 7-4-1 record, one point ahead of the Senators in the overall standings.
One interesting aspect of the Rangers' early-season performance has been the enormous difference between their home and road records.
New York is a perfect 6-0-0 at Madison Square Garden but has struggled away from home, winning just once in six games.
The Senators, meanwhile, are 4-2-0 at Canadian Tire Centre.
While injuries have been a major storyline for the Senators, Tim Stützle's outstanding start has been one of the biggest positives.
The 24-year-old centre, who has a chef at home, has been cooking in October with seven goals and 15 points in 11 games. He's recorded at least one point in nine of those games and has already established career highs for goals and points in October, with four games still remaining in the month.
Stützle has also scored in each of his last two games and carries a three-game point streak into Saturday's matchup. He's been the driving force behind the Senators' offence, and has almost lapped every other teammate in scoring.
Drake Batherson is second in team scoring with eight points, followed by Shane Pinto and Claude Giroux with seven apiece.
One player the Senators desperately need to get going is Dylan Cozens.
After a promising finish to last season, Cozens has managed just three assists in 11 games and has yet to score his first goal. But he's been playing a lot better this week and the stats will surely follow. He's certainly getting opportunities, having registered 25 shots on goal, tied for the team lead with Batherson and Fabian Zetterlund.
With Ullmark sidelined, the Senators will need a lot more offence from players not named Tim to compensate for the probable drop-off in goaltending. In Thursday's loss to San Jose, which was way closer than 6-2 might suggest, the Sens couldn't buy a goal.
The Rangers have received some great early-season production from Alexis Lafrenière, who hasn't delivered yet in his career the way Stutzle has.
The 2020 first-overall draft pick, chosen two picks ahead of Stutzle, leads New York with eight goals and is tied with defenceman Adam Fox for the team lead with 14 points.
Fox has yet to score a goal but has already collected 14 assists in 12 games.
Former Senator Mika Zibanejad is also off to a strong start, recording three goals and eight assists for 11 points.
The Rangers have averaged 3.08 goals per game, compared with 2.64 for the Senators.
If there's one area where the Rangers hold a significant statistical advantage, it's special teams.
The Senators' power play has been a major disappointment through the first 11 games. Despite having plenty of offensive talent, the club has converted on just six of its 49 opportunities, a success rate of 12.2 per cent.
Making matters worse, the Senators have already surrendered three shorthanded goals.
The Rangers haven't exactly been spectacular with the man advantage, converting at 20 per cent, but their penalty killing has been outstanding. New York has killed off 91.7 per cent of its penalties, the second-best mark in the league.
The Senators' penalty kill, meanwhile, is operating at just 78 per cent.
Discipline could also be a factor. The Senators are averaging 12.5 penalty minutes per game, among the highest totals in the NHL.
For the Senators, the challenge is straightforward.
They need to tighten things up again defensively, find more production beyond Stützle, and get better goaltending from whoever gets the call.
Game time: 7 p.m. Saturday at Canadian Tire Centre.
Source: Sports
0 Comments