Florida’s power play ranks 13th in the NHL at 20.9 percent, while Ottawa’s penalty kill ranks 17th at 79.4 percent. That is one number to know before checking the Panthers vs Senators odds for Wednesday, October 21, 2026, when the Florida Panthers (5-2-2 this season) visit the Ottawa Senators (6-3-0 this season) at Canadian Tire Centre. Puck drop is 7:30 PM ET (7:30 PM local) in Ottawa, Ont.; TV: Scripps Sports / Prime Video.
Storyline: Florida enters Wednesday at 5-2-2 after an 8-3 win over Seattle (Oct. 17). Ottawa enters Wednesday at 6-3-0 after a 3-1 loss at Philadelphia (Oct. 17). The goal differentials are far apart: Florida has outscored opponents 30-25 this season, and Ottawa has outscored opponents 24-23; its goals-against average ranks 8th of 32 teams (NHL.com). Florida won three of four meetings last season (NHL.com).
Panthers vs Senators Odds & Line Movement: Moneyline, Puck Line, Total
| Matchup | Florida Panthers @ Ottawa Senators |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | Florida Panthers 5-2-2 | Ottawa Senators 6-3-0 |
| 2025-26 Records | Florida Panthers 40-38-4 | Ottawa Senators 44-27-11 |
| Head Coaches | FLA: Paul Maurice (5th season) | OTT: Travis Green (3rd season) |
| Puck Line | FLA -1.5 (+220) | OTT +1.5 (-270) |
| Moneyline | Florida Panthers: -105 | Ottawa Senators: -115 |
| Total | O/U 5.5 (o-125 / u+105) |
| Opening Line (DraftKings) | FLA -105 / OTT -115 | total 5.5 |
| Venue | Canadian Tire Centre (Ottawa, Ont.) |
| Date / Time | Wednesday, October 21, 2026 — 7:30 PM ET (7:30 PM local) |
| TV / How to Watch | Scripps Sports / Prime Video |
| Probable Starting Goalies | FLA: Akira Schmid (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) | OTT: Linus Ullmark (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) |
Panthers vs Senators odds via DraftKings (through ESPN) as of Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, ~1:35 PM ET. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. ESPN lists Akira Schmid (Florida) and Linus Ullmark (Ottawa) as probable starters, not yet confirmed at research time.
In the Panthers vs Senators odds market, DraftKings opened Ottawa at -115 and Florida at -105 on the moneyline, and both prices were unchanged as of Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, ~1:35 PM ET. The total has held at 5.5 (over -125, under +105) since it opened. On the puck line, Florida -1.5 opened at -250 and is +220. Opening numbers are DraftKings’ first posted lines, as shown by ESPN.
Florida Panthers Preview: Tkachuk Leads a 5-2-2 Start
2025-26 recap: Florida went 40-38-4 (84 points), finished seventh in the Atlantic Division and missed the playoffs one year after winning a second straight Stanley Cup. Barkov missed the entire season. Sam Reinhart led the team with 61 points (29 goals, 32 assists) in 64 games, Sam Bennett had 58 points, Carter Verhaeghe had 55 and Brad Marchand scored 27 goals in 52 games (NHL.com).
Offseason moves: Florida acquired forward Brady Tkachuk from Ottawa on June 21 to join his brother Matthew. He had 59 points in 60 games last season. The Panthers also added goalies Jacob Markstrom (New Jersey) and Akira Schmid (Vegas), forwards Lars Eller and Garnet Hathaway, and defenseman Radko Gudas. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky now plays for Toronto, Daniil Tarasov for Detroit and Mackie Samoskevich for Seattle (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Reinhart, Bennett, Verhaeghe, the Tkachuk brothers, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Eller lead the forwards. Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling, Seth Jones, Niko Mikkola, Gudas and Dmitry Kulikov are on defense. Paul Maurice is in his fifth season as coach.
Season so far: Florida is 5-2-2 through nine games, with 30 goals scored and 25 allowed. Results: a 1-0 overtime win at Carolina (Sept. 29), a 4-3 overtime loss at San Jose (Oct. 1), a 3-2 overtime loss at Anaheim (Oct. 4), a 2-1 win at Los Angeles (Oct. 6), a 4-1 loss to Minnesota (Oct. 10), a 5-3 loss at Buffalo (Oct. 12), a 7-3 win at Columbus (Oct. 13), a 3-2 overtime win over Vancouver (Oct. 15) and an 8-3 win over Seattle (Oct. 17). Matthew Tkachuk has 14 points (three goals, 11 assists), and Brady Tkachuk has 10 points (six goals, four assists) (NHL.com).
Catch up on Florida’s previous game with our Kraken vs Panthers preview from Oct. 17.
Florida Panthers Injury Report
Injury news can move the Panthers vs Senators odds before puck drop. Jacob Markstrom (upper body) is listed as out; Brad Marchand (leg), Aleksander Barkov (lower body) and Jonah Gadjovich (upper body surgery) are on injured reserve (ESPN).
Ottawa Senators Preview: Stützle Leads a 6-3-0 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. Stutzle 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: Stutzle, Batherson, Cozens, Shane Pinto, Fabian Zetterlund, Claude Giroux and Ridly Greig lead the forwards. Thomas Chabot, Jake Sanderson, Jordan Spence, Tyler Kleven, Nikolas Matinpalo and Carter Yakemchuk are on defense. Travis Green is in his third season as coach.
Season so far: Ottawa is 6-3-0 through nine games, with 24 goals scored and 23 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), a 7-2 loss to St. Louis (Oct. 13), a 2-1 shootout win over the Islanders (Oct. 15) and a 3-1 loss at Philadelphia (Oct. 17). Tim Stützle has 12 points (five goals, seven assists), and Drake Batherson has six points (four goals, two assists) (NHL.com).
Our Senators vs Flyers preview from Oct. 17 has more on how the Senators came into their last game.
Ottawa Senators Injury Report
Any late change on this list can also shift the Panthers vs Senators odds. Thomas Chabot (upper body) is listed as out; William Eklund (ankle) is on injured reserve; Kurtis MacDermid (upper body) is on the injured non-roster list (ESPN).
Goalie Matchup: Schmid vs Ullmark
The goalie matchup is one of the biggest inputs in the Panthers vs Senators odds. ESPN lists Akira Schmid (Florida) and Linus Ullmark (Ottawa) as probable starters, not yet confirmed at research time. Here is how each team’s goalies have performed so far in 2026-27 (NHL.com).
Ottawa Senators Goalies
Linus Ullmark has started seven games and is 6-1-0 with a .945 save percentage (155 saves on 164 shots). Most recently, he made 25 saves on 27 shots in a 3-1 loss at Philadelphia (Oct. 17). 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 Wednesday (not confirmed at research time).
Florida Panthers Goalies
Jacob Markstrom has started six games and is 3-1-1 with an .897 save percentage (105 saves on 117 shots). Most recently, he made 20 saves on 23 shots in an 8-3 win over Seattle (Oct. 17). Akira Schmid has started three games and is 2-1-1 with an .878 save percentage (86 saves on 98 shots, including relief). Most recently, he made 16 saves on 18 shots in a 3-2 overtime win over Vancouver (Oct. 15). Cooper Black has not played yet. ESPN lists Akira Schmid as the probable starter for Wednesday (not confirmed at research time).
Panthers vs Senators Odds: Key Betting Trends
Here is the season data behind the Panthers vs Senators odds. The figures below are straight season data through games before Wednesday, from NHL.com, with over/under counts measured against DraftKings closing totals via ESPN.
- Panthers home/road: Florida is 2-1-0 at home and 3-1-2 on the road (NHL.com).
- Panthers recent form: Florida is 3-2-0 in its last five games, with 22 goals scored and 17 allowed in that stretch (NHL.com).
- Panthers totals: Florida’s games have gone over the DraftKings closing total four times and under five times in nine games with a posted total, averaging 6.1 combined goals per game (DraftKings via ESPN; NHL.com).
- Panthers special teams: Florida’s power play is converting 20.9 percent (13th in the NHL), and its penalty kill is at 80.6 percent (16th) (NHL.com).
- Panthers scoring: Florida has scored 30 goals and allowed 25 in 9 games (3.33 goals per game) (NHL.com).
- Senators home/road: Ottawa is 3-1-0 at home and 3-2-0 on the road (NHL.com).
- Senators recent form: Ottawa is 3-2-0 in its last five games, with 12 goals scored and 14 allowed in that stretch (NHL.com).
- Senators totals: Ottawa’s games have gone over the DraftKings closing total two times and under seven times in nine games with a posted total, averaging 5.2 combined goals per game (DraftKings via ESPN; NHL.com).
- Senators special teams: Ottawa’s power play is converting 12.8 percent (28th in the NHL), and its penalty kill is at 79.4 percent (17th) (NHL.com).
- Senators scoring: Ottawa has scored 24 goals and allowed 23 in 9 games (2.67 goals per game) (NHL.com).
- Combined totals: Across both teams, games have gone over the DraftKings closing total six times and under 12 times in 18 games with a posted total, against a 5.5 total for this game (DraftKings via ESPN).
Panthers vs Senators Head-to-Head
2025-26 series: Florida won three of four meetings last season. Florida won 6-2 at home on Oct. 11, 2025, 3-2 in Ottawa on Jan. 10, 2026 and 6-3 at home on March 31. Ottawa won 5-1 at home on April 9 (NHL.com). The four games produced 28 total goals, an average of 7.0 per game.
2026-27 schedule: Wednesday’s game is meeting one of four between the teams this season (NHL.com). Past meetings are history only; the current Panthers vs Senators odds are in the table above.
How to Watch Panthers vs Senators
Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Puck drop: 7:30 PM ET (7:30 PM local)
Venue: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ont.
TV: In the U.S., Scripps Sports (SCRIPPS) carries it in the Panthers’ market (NHL.com). In Canada, Prime Video carries it (NHL.com). ESPN also lists ESPN+ streaming. No U.S. national TV broadcast is listed at research time.
Schedule spot: Florida last played on Oct. 17 (3 days off before Wednesday) and visits Pittsburgh on Oct. 22, so Wednesday is the first night of a back-to-back for the Panthers. Ottawa last played on Oct. 17 (3 days off before Wednesday) and hosts San Jose on Oct. 22, so Wednesday is the first night of a back-to-back for the Senators. Neither team played on Tuesday, Oct. 20, so neither is on the second night of a back-to-back (NHL.com).
Live stats, lineups and the box score will be on the Panthers vs Senators gamecenter on NHL.com, and the official Ottawa Senators site posts team news and lineup notes.
For a refresher on how the moneyline, puck line and total are priced, see our NHL odds guide; the free content hub has the rest of our free daily coverage.
Every daily matchup breakdown is collected on our NHL previews and odds page. If you want handicapper analysis on top of these numbers, Cappers Direct Premium subscriptions, which include NHL packages are available.
Frequently Asked Questions: Panthers vs Senators
What time is Panthers vs Senators on October 21, 2026?
Puck drop is 7:30 PM ET (7:30 PM local) on Wednesday, October 21, 2026 at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ont. The Panthers vs Senators odds in this preview were last updated on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026.
Who is starting in goal for Panthers vs Senators?
ESPN lists Akira Schmid (Florida) and Linus Ullmark (Ottawa) as probable starters, not yet confirmed at research time.
What are the Panthers vs Senators odds and puck line?
For the Panthers vs Senators odds, DraftKings lists Florida -1.5 (+220) and Ottawa +1.5 (-270) on the puck line as of Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, ~1:35 PM ET. The moneyline is Florida Panthers -105 and Ottawa Senators -115, and the total is 5.5.
What channel is Panthers vs Senators on?
In the U.S., Scripps Sports (SCRIPPS) carries it in the Panthers’ market (NHL.com). In Canada, Prime Video carries it (NHL.com). ESPN also lists ESPN+ streaming. No U.S. national TV broadcast is listed at research time.
