The Ottawa Senators have been waiting just as eagerly for their home opener as their fans have been — and more than a week after the NHL schedule started, they’ll get their wish, when they welcome the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night.
“Feels like it just took a while before we played our first game, let alone be at home, but no, it’s exciting, the energy was great here this morning, we’re fired up to get in front of our fans,” said Thomas Chabot on Thursday morning.
“Obviously, it’s fun to start the season, there’s nothing like playing at home and being back in front of our fans here, the energy’s always through the roof… the player introductions are always awesome, I think the whole night is fun, coming into the rink and having the red carpet and seeing the fans that are there super early, just to see us walk in, three-plus hours before the game, their commitment is there, so it’s always just a fun night.”
Chabot will be introduced as Senators captain during the pregame introductions, which will be another special moment checked off on a long list over the past two weeks, since the birth of his daughter Romy.
The longest tenured Senator told the media that his former teammate Nick Paul grabbed the puck after Chabot scored in Toronto on Saturday night, his first goal as both a father and as Senators captain.
“I thought it was a pretty sweet move, and no, I mean, it’s a cool moment with everything that went down, being named the captain, but obviously, more important than that, first goal as a dad, it was a pretty cool feeling,” said Chabot.
Linus Ullmark will start his third straight home opener for the Senators and will look to continue his success from both the start of his season and from previous home openers.
Ullmark helped the Senators defeat the Florida Panthers 3-1 back in October 2024, saving 31-of-32 shots in his first-ever regular season appearance with the team. Last October, the Swedish netminder battled hard, saving 22-of-24 shots as the Sens fell to the Nashville Predators in his second home opener in Ottawa.
This year, Ullmark enters the game sporting a .949 save percentage, a 1.20 goals-against average, and a 2-0-0 record.
“We have so much confidence in him, and how he performs, and he’s great off the ice. We just have a lot of confidence in him, I love when he’s playing,” said Tyler Kleven.
“Electric, I mean, he’s so calm back there, makes some big stops for us. Every time he’s on his game, it’s incredible to watch, and he’s been playing really good for us, so yeah, it’s been awesome, really happy for him,” said Tim Stützle, who leads the Senators with six points through three games.
