Story Summary
The Ottawa Senators have made a sharp start to life without former captain Brady Tkachuk, opening the 2026-27 season 2-0-0 after victories over the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins.
Ottawa followed their opening win against Toronto with a 4-1 result at TD Garden, where Tim Stützle scored twice in 1:43 during the first period and added an assist on Drake Batherson’s second-period goal. The Senators have scored seven goals and conceded three across their first two games.
The early record is particularly notable after an off-season departure that ended Tkachuk’s eight-season Ottawa tenure. He finished his Senators career with 463 points, comprising 213 goals and 250 assists, in 572 games. Ottawa’s players, however, have stressed the collective belief within the group rather than framing their start around the former captain’s exit.
There is also an immediate note of caution. Goaltender Linus Ullmark left after the second period against Boston following a collision with JJ Peterka in the crease. Coach Travis Green described the move as precautionary.
Key Facts
- Ottawa are 2-0-0 after beating Toronto and defeating Boston 4-1 at TD Garden.
- The Senators have scored seven goals and allowed three through two games.
- Tim Stützle scored two first-period goals against Boston in 1:43, including a short-handed goal at 7:39.
- Stützle added an assist on Drake Batherson’s goal at 1:06 of the second period for his 33rd career three-point game.
- Stützle’s 33 career three-point games tie Brady Tkachuk for fourth most in Senators history and moved him past Erik Karlsson.
- Tkachuk recorded 463 points, with 213 goals and 250 assists, in 572 games over eight seasons in Ottawa.
- Ottawa began last season 2-4-1 over seven games and started the previous season 6-7-0 over 13 games.
- Linus Ullmark was removed after the second period against Boston following a crease collision with JJ Peterka; Travis Green called it precautionary.
- Ottawa are scheduled to play the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena before their home opener against the Philadelphia Flyers.
IHM Discussion
Two games cannot settle the wider questions facing Ottawa after Tkachuk’s departure, but they do show a club making a cleaner start than in its two previous seasons. The Senators had spent recent autumns chasing ground after uneven opening stretches. This time, they have banked four points immediately and done so while allowing only three goals.
Stützle supplied the decisive attacking edge in Boston. His first goal came when a David Pastrnak turnover created a 2-on-1 with Michael Amadio while Ottawa were short-handed. His second followed another turnover on the same Bruins power play, with Stützle carrying the chance the length of the ice and scoring three seconds after the penalty expired. Those plays reflected quick punishment of loose puck decisions rather than a need for Ottawa to dominate possession for long spells.
Batherson’s comments also point to the internal standard Ottawa want to establish: a group that plays for one another regardless of the nightly lineup. Green has linked the emphasis to improving the club’s starts, saying the Senators revisited how they had played last season and the game that had made them successful over its opening 10 games. That is a more useful early measure than any broad claim about replacing one player’s production.
Ullmark’s status deserves attention because Ottawa’s strong defensive opening has included only three goals against. Green’s precautionary description provides no basis to project an absence, but it makes the next update on the goaltender a relevant checkpoint.
Why It Matters
The Senators are attempting to establish stability in their first season since 2017-18 without Tkachuk. His production and captaincy leave a significant void, but Ottawa’s first response has been collective: goals from Stützle and Batherson, a disciplined short-handed contribution in Boston and a low goals-against total over two games.
The contrast with the previous two starts is important. Ottawa were 2-4-1 after seven games last season and 6-7-0 after 13 games the year before. Starting 2-0-0 does not erase the need to sustain their habits, as Stützle himself acknowledged, but it means the club is not immediately trying to recover lost points.
Stützle’s three-point night carries historical weight as well as present-day value. By tying Tkachuk for fourth in franchise history with 33 career three-point games, he underlined his central role in Ottawa’s attack at the outset of this new phase.
Fan Pulse
For Senators supporters, the appeal of this opening is not simply the unbeaten record. It is that Ottawa have begun the season with tangible evidence of a shared response after a major off-season change. Stützle’s scoring burst in Boston and Batherson’s contribution gave the group visible offensive leaders, while the three goals conceded across two games offered an encouraging defensive marker.
The Ullmark situation tempers the immediate mood. Until there is a further update, the appropriate reading is Green’s: the removal was precautionary. The next game and the home opener will give supporters further opportunities to assess whether the sharp early standard is being repeated.
Mini Q&A
How have the Senators started the season without Brady Tkachuk?
Ottawa are 2-0-0 after wins over Toronto and Boston, with seven goals scored and three conceded.
What did Tim Stützle do against Boston?
Stützle scored twice in 1:43 in the first period, including a short-handed goal, and assisted on Drake Batherson’s second-period goal.
Why did Linus Ullmark leave the Boston game?
Ullmark left after the second period following a collision with JJ Peterka in the crease. Travis Green called the decision precautionary.
What is next for Ottawa?
The Senators are scheduled to play Detroit on the road before hosting Philadelphia in their home opener.
Coach Mark Comment
Ottawa’s most encouraging sequence in Boston was the response to turnovers on the penalty kill. Stützle converted two rush situations generated from Bruins mistakes, including one while short-handed. That speaks to alertness and speed in transition, but the repeatable coaching point is the collective work Green identified: playing the right way as a team. The Senators do not need every night to resemble Stützle’s three-point performance; they need the same connected defensive detail and readiness to attack when chances appear.
What Comes Next
Ottawa’s next stated checkpoint is a road game against Detroit at Little Caesars Arena, followed by the Senators’ home opener against Philadelphia at Canadian Tire Centre. Any further information on Ullmark after his precautionary removal against Boston will also be significant.
IHM Final View
Ottawa have made the start they said they needed. The Senators are 2-0-0, have outscored opponents 7-3 and have received an immediate statement performance from Stützle. The test now is not to define the season from two wins, but to carry the same collective standard into the games ahead while awaiting clarity on Ullmark.