Our New York Islanders vs Ottawa Senators preview covers the odds, puck line, total, start time, TV channel and where to watch on Thursday, October 15, 2026. The New York Islanders (3-3-0 this season; 43-34-5 in 2025-26) visit the Ottawa Senators (5-2-0 this season; 44-27-11 in 2025-26) at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ont. Puck drop is 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local). TV: MSGSN / TSN5 / RDS.
Storyline: The Islanders enter Thursday at 3-3-0 after a 3-2 win over Vancouver (Oct. 13). Ottawa enters Thursday at 5-2-0 after a 7-2 loss to St. Louis (Oct. 13). Ottawa won two of three meetings last season (NHL.com). DraftKings lists Ottawa at -166 and the Islanders at +140 on the moneyline, with the total at 5.5.
New York Islanders vs Ottawa Senators Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | New York Islanders @ Ottawa Senators |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | New York Islanders 3-3-0 | Ottawa Senators 5-2-0 |
| 2025-26 Records | New York Islanders 43-34-5 | Ottawa Senators 44-27-11 |
| Head Coaches | NYI: Peter DeBoer (2nd season) | OTT: Travis Green (3rd season) |
| Puck Line | NYI +1.5 (-185) | OTT -1.5 (+154) |
| Moneyline | New York Islanders: +140 | Ottawa Senators: -166 |
| Total | O/U 5.5 (o-115 / u-105) |
| Venue | Canadian Tire Centre (Ottawa, Ont.) |
| Date / Time | Thursday, October 15, 2026 — 7:00 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | MSGSN / TSN5 / RDS |
| Probable Starting Goalies | NYI: Ilya Sorokin (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) | OTT: Linus Ullmark (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN) as of Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026, ~6:23 PM ET. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. ESPN lists Ilya Sorokin (Islanders) and Linus Ullmark (Ottawa) as probable starters, not yet confirmed at research time.
New York Islanders Preview: Horvat Leads a 3-3-0 Start
2025-26 recap: The Islanders went 43-34-5 (91 points), finished sixth in the Metropolitan Division and missed the playoffs. Mathew Barzal led the team with 72 points (19 goals, 53 assists), Bo Horvat scored a team-high 31 goals, and Matthew Schaefer, the No. 1 selection in the 2025 draft, had 23 goals and 59 points as an 18-year-old defenseman (NHL.com). Peter DeBoer replaced Patrick Roy as coach during the season.
Offseason moves: The Islanders added forward Matias Maccelli (39 points for Toronto last season), defensemen Logan Stanley and Matthew Kessel, and goalie Semyon Varlamov returned to the NHL roster. Forward Anders Lee now plays for Utah, Maxim Shabanov for Minnesota and goalie David Rittich for New Jersey (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Horvat, Brayden Schenn, Kyle Palmieri, Simon Holmstrom, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Emil Heineman, Anthony Duclair, Calum Ritchie, Victor Eklund and Maccelli lead the forwards. Schaefer, Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech, Tony DeAngelo and Stanley are on defense. DeBoer is in his second season as coach.
Goalies: Ilya Sorokin has started five games and is 3-2-0 with a .934 save percentage (128 saves on 137 shots). Most recently, he made 24 saves on 26 shots in a 3-2 win over Vancouver (Oct. 13). Semyon Varlamov has started one game and is 0-1-0 with an .864 save percentage (19 saves on 22 shots). That start was a 5-2 loss at the Rangers (Oct. 6). ESPN lists Ilya Sorokin as the probable starter for Thursday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: The Islanders are 3-3-0 through six games, with 19 goals scored and 15 allowed. Results: a 2-1 loss at Toronto (Sept. 30), a 6-0 win over New Jersey (Oct. 3), a 5-2 loss at the Rangers (Oct. 6), a 4-1 win over Chicago (Oct. 8), a 5-3 loss to Tampa Bay (Oct. 10) and a 3-2 win over Vancouver (Oct. 13). Bo Horvat has seven points (four goals, three assists), and Matthew Schaefer has six assists (NHL.com).
Injuries: Alexander Romanov (knee surgery) is listed as out; Mathew Barzal (knee) is on injured reserve (ESPN).
Ottawa Senators Preview: Stützle Leads a 5-2-0 Start
2025-26 recap: Ottawa went 44-27-11 (99 points), finished fifth in the Atlantic Division and made the playoffs for the second straight season before the eventual champion Carolina Hurricanes swept the Senators in the first round. Stützle led the team with 83 points (34 goals, 49 assists), Drake Batherson scored 33 goals and Dylan Cozens scored 28 (NHL.com).
Offseason moves: Ottawa traded captain Brady Tkachuk to Florida on June 21 for the No. 9 and No. 25 selections in the 2026 draft and more, then sent the No. 9 selection to San Jose for forward William Eklund (53 points last season). The Senators acquired forward Andre Burakovsky from Chicago and signed goalie Samuel Ersson to a two-year, $4.4 million contract (NHL.com, TSN).
Key players & coach: Stützle, Batherson, Cozens, Shane Pinto, Fabian Zetterlund, Claude Giroux and Ridly Greig lead the forwards. Thomas Chabot, Jake Sanderson, Jordan Spence, Tyler Kleven, Carter Yakemchuk are on defense. Travis Green is in his third season as coach.
Goalies: Linus Ullmark has started five games and is 5-0-0 with a .948 save percentage (110 saves on 116 shots). Most recently, he made 29 saves on 30 shots in a 4-1 win at New Jersey (Oct. 12). Samuel Ersson has started two games and is 0-2-0 with an .829 save percentage (58 saves on 70 shots, including relief). Most recently, he made 19 saves on 26 shots in a 7-2 loss to St. Louis (Oct. 13). ESPN lists Linus Ullmark as the probable starter for Thursday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: Ottawa is 5-2-0 through seven games, with 21 goals scored and 19 allowed. Results: a 3-2 win at Toronto (Oct. 3), a 4-1 win at Boston (Oct. 5), a 5-3 loss at Detroit (Oct. 6), a 2-1 win over Philadelphia (Oct. 8), a 3-2 shootout win over Nashville (Oct. 10), a 4-1 win at New Jersey (Oct. 12) and a 7-2 loss to St. Louis (Oct. 13). Tim Stützle has 11 points (five goals, six assists), and Shane Pinto has six points (one goal, five assists) (NHL.com).
Injuries: Nikolas Matinpalo (upper body) is listed as out; Jake Sanderson (lower body) and Ridly Greig (strain) are day to day; Artem Zub (knee), Cameron Crotty (illness) and William Eklund (ankle) are on injured reserve; Kurtis MacDermid (upper body) is on the injured non-roster list (ESPN).
Key Matchup Notes: Islanders vs Senators
- Schedule spot: The Islanders last played on Oct. 13 and visits Toronto on Oct. 17. Ottawa last played on Oct. 13 and visits Philadelphia on Oct. 17.
- Last season: Ottawa won two of three meetings last season. The Islanders won 5-4 in Ottawa on Oct. 18, 2025. Ottawa won 3-2 at home on March 19, 2026 and 3-0 on the road on April 11 (NHL.com).
- Special teams: The Islanders are converting 21.1 percent of its power plays and has killed 82.6 percent of penalties. Ottawa is converting 15.2 percent of its power plays and has killed 78.6 percent of penalties (NHL.com).
- Scoring: The Islanders have scored 19 goals and allowed 15 in 6 games. Ottawa has scored 21 goals and allowed 19 in 7 games.
- Odds snapshot: Ottawa -166 / The Islanders +140 on the moneyline, Senators -1.5 (+154) on the puck line, total 5.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch New York Islanders vs Ottawa Senators
Date: Thursday, October 15, 2026
Puck drop: 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local)
Venue: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ont.
TV: In the U.S., MSG Sportsnet (MSGSN) carries it in the Islanders’ market (NHL.com). In Canada, TSN5 and RDS carry it (NHL.com). ESPN also lists ESPN+ streaming. No U.S. national TV broadcast is listed at research time.
Check the puck line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 15, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.