Schedule Breakdown: Division Rivalries

Fresh off a season where the playoff race in the Atlantic Division was as tight as it's ever been with the gap between second and fifth in the division only being separated by five points, the division rivalries are sure to be fierce this season. The Senators have 26 games against division opponents this season, including 13 at Canadian Tire Centre.

Of course fans who want to guarantee access to see their favourite division battles this season can purchase a full, half, or Sens on Demand Membership.

For more in depth schedule analysis check out these break downs:

• Canadian Clashes
• Saturday Showdowns
• Wild West

Without further ado, let's take a look at what the Atlantic Division has in store!

Boston Bruins (2024-25 Record: 33-39-10; 76 points)

Oct. 27 7:30 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre
Nov. 06 7:00 p.m. | TD Garden
Nov. 13 7:00 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre
Dec. 21 7:00 p.m. | TD Garden

After eight consecutive playoff appearances, including a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2019, the Bruins missed the playoffs last season for just the third time since 2008. At the trade deadline the Bruins looked fully poised to lean into the trade deadline, sending their captain and longest tenured player Brad Marchand to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers.

The Bruins have been fairly active this offseason, adding Tanner Jeanot, Michael Eyssimont, and Sean Kuraly via free agency while extending players like Morgan Geekie, Mason Lohrei, and Michael DiPietro. Led by David Pastrnak, coming off his third consecutive 100-point season, and Jeremy Swayman minding the net, this Bruins team will not be one to be taken lightly despite how last season panned out.

The Bruins and Senators had a fierce season series last year with the Senators taking three of the four meetings including two wins in either overtime or a shootout.

Buffalo Sabres (2024-25 Record: 36-39-7; 79 points)

Oct. 15 7:00 p.m. | KeyBank Center
Dec. 23 7:00 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre
Apr. 02 7:00 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre

While the 2024-25 season didn't go as planned for the Sabres, finishing second last in the division, they have been a team that has had the Senators number in recent years. Buffalo has won eight of the last twelve meetings against the Senators, including a season sweep this past season.

The Sabres have ahd a busy offseason, most notably trading away young star JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth in exchange for forward Josh Doan and defenceman Michael Kesselring. The Sabres also extended Jack Quinn and re-signed Ryan McLeod, Bowen Byram, and Tyson Kozak. On the other side they bid farewell to defencemen Jacob Bernard-Docker and Kale Clague and goaltender James Reimer.

After a 14-year playoff drought the Sabres will look to turn the corner under Lindy Ruff this season, his second as the bench boss in Buffalo in his second stint with the organization. Led by captain Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power on the blue line and hoping for a healthy season from Josh Norris to play alongside leading scorer Tage Thompson, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in net, the Sabres will look to make some noise to start the 2025-26 campaign.

Detroit Red Wings (2024-25 Record: 39-35-8; 86 points)

Jan. 05 7:30 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre
Jan. 18 5:00 p.m. | Little Caesars Arena
Feb. 26 7:00 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre
Mar. 24 7:00 p.m. | Little Caesars Arena

The Red Wings entered this past April in striking distance of ending their eight-year playoff drought. However, a middling finish over the last few weeks combined with a surging Montreal team ultimately ended that hope. Hockeytown is inching closer to a playoff berth finishing five points and one point out of the final playoff spot respectively in each of the last two seasons.

While this Red Wings team has ample firepower with skaters like Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Larkin, and Patrick Kane, they ranked 22nd in the NHL last season. Whether it was looking to add another weapon or simply an additional veteran presence, the Red Wings will get both in uniting the former 1st and 2nd overall draft picks from the 2007 NHL Draft with James van Riemsdyk joining via free agency this offseason.

On the back end the Red Wings have shored up their goaltending trading for John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks as the likely starter with Cam Talbot set to back up. The Senators will also recognize a familiar face in the Motor City this season on the blue line with Jacob Bernard-Docker signing with Detroit in the offseason.

Last year the Sens went 3-0-1 against the Red Wings though every game was a battle right to the end with neither team winning by more than a margin of one goal. Expect those battles to continue this season with a Detroit team hungry for the playoffs and the Senators looking to be a playoff mainstay.

Florida Panthers (2024-25 Record: 47-31-4; 98 points)

Oct. 11 7:00 p.m. | Amerant Bank Arena
Jan. 10 7:00 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre
Mar. 31 7:00 p.m. | Amerant Bank Arena
Apr. 09 7:00 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre

Surely a team that needs no introduction as the reigning back-to-back Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers have proven to be a thorn in the side of nearly every team in the league over the last several seasons. The big question for the Panthers after going all in to win the Cup this summer was how they were going to keep the band together and stay cap compliant. Well after signing Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, and Aaron Ekblad to six, eight, and eight year contracts respectively it seems they kept the band together, much to the rest of the league's chagrin.

Of course, the Panthers did have some movement this summer adding savvy veteran Jeff Petry while seeing Kaapo Kahkonen, Nate Schmidt, Nico Sturm, and more move on to other teams. Led by Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, and Sergei Bobrovsky still playing at an elite level, the Panthers will effectively be running back the same core that has gone to three straight Stanley Cup Finals, winning two. Suffice to say they will be a force to be reckoned with.

With that said the Senators and Panthers were fairly evenly matched last season with each team taking both games on home ice including a shut out for each team and a goal differential that only favoured the Panthers by one goal over four games. With the undertones of the battle of the Tkachuks these games are sure to be must see TV this season and battles you'll want to secure a seat for.

Montreal Canadiens (2024-25 Record: 40-31-11; 91 points)

Nov. 01 7:00 p.m. | Centre Bell
Dec. 02 9:00 p.m. | Centre Bell
Jan. 17 7:00 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre
Mar. 11 7:30 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre

The Canadiens surprised many last season after sitting in nearly last place midway through the 2024-25 season before hitting their stride at the right time and sneaking into the final Wild Card playoff spot just as the season came to a close. While they lost in the opening round to the Washington Capitals, they have a lot to be excited about heading into next season.

The emergence of young talent spearheaded their 2024-25 campaign and is surely what they will lean on heading into this season. With Lane Hutson anchoring the blue line and Ivan Demidov set to show what he can bring to this young core, the Canadiens may look to go back-to-back with Calder Memorial Trophy winners.

While it's hard to call them veterans yet at such a young age the Canadiens core showed real growth last season. Captain Nick Suzuki had a career best 89 points in 2024-25 while Cole Caufield flirted with a 40-goal season, finishing the year with 37. The Canadiens will also look to get Kirby Dach back in the line-up after missing the end of the 2024-25 campaign with a knee injury.

Meanwhile between the pipes Sam Montembault led the Canadiens with a 2.80 goals against average and a .903% save percentage in his first season as their clear cut no. 1 option. Suffice to say, this Canadiens team will make for some solid battles with the Senators looking to build on a big 2024-25 campaign.

After several season of dominance in head-to-head match ups for the Senators, the Canadiens were able to get over the hump besting the Senators three of the four times they faced off last season. Of course, the Senators took the crucial fourth meeting which all but secured the top Wild Card berth over Montreal in the end.

Tampa Bay Lightning (2024-25 Record: 47-27-8; 102 points)

Oct. 09 7:00 p.m. | Amalie Arena
Mar. 28 7:00 p.m. | Amalie Arena
April. 07 7:00 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre

In a season that many expected the Lightning to take a step back after their long-time Captain Steven Stamkos left in free agency, the Lightning proved that it's no mistake that they made it to three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals including two wins to start the 2020's. Led by three time Art Ross Memorial Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov on the front end, while perennial Vezina Trophy candidate Andrei Vasilevskiy minds the net, this Tampa Bay team can pose issues for opponents at the best of times.

While the bulk of the offseason efforts for the Lightning organization have been focused on the Syracuse Crunch, they have made several moves to bolster their roster for next season. Following Cam Atkinson becoming a free agent, the Lightning added Pontus Holmberg while also signing last season's big trade acquisition Yanni Gourde to a six-year extension.

The Senators and Lightning split their season series last year with each side winning on home ice. However, with only one visit to Canadian Tire Centre this season, and likely during a crucial playoff push Senators fans will want to circle April 7 on their calendars as their only chance to catch the Lightning in Ottawa this season.

Toronto Maple Leafs (2024-25 Record: 52-26-4; 108 points)

Dec. 27 7 p.m. | Scotiabank Arena
Feb. 28 1 p.m. | Scotiabank Saddledome
Mar. 13 7 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre
Apr. 15 7:30 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre

A match up fans always look forward to, the Battle of Ontario might have a little extra motivation this season. Fresh off a postseason meeting in the first round, which Toronto won 4-2 despite a fantastic effort from the Senators to claw back from 3-0 and even looked poised to head to overtime in game six at home before Max Pacioretty and William Nylander potted one each to secure the win.

Toronto has had an interesting offseason to say the least. The biggest news was after months of speculation the Maple Leafs broke up the 'Core Four' with Mitch Marner being traded to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Nicholas Roy ahead of hitting free agency. With that news, forward John Tavares took a hometown discount to stick with this Toronto core which allowed Toronto to waste no time signing young star Matthew Knies to a six-year contract extension with a clear indication of him playing a big role.

The Battle of Ontario favoured the Senators during the regular season last year, with a sweep of all three games including a 3-0 shutout in Toronto in their first meeting in November.

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