The upcoming sharks vs senators meeting in Ottawa brings Macklin Celebrini to town for a matchup with clear playoff consequences and a 5: 00 pm ET start. Both teams enter motivated after wins in their most recent games and will manage lineups, goaltending and injuries ahead of the contest.
Projected Lineups And Game-Day Decisions
Projected forward groups show the Sharks rolling out a top line of Collin Graf, Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith. Adam Gaudette, Alexander Wennberg and Kiefer Sherwood are listed on the second line, with William Eklund, Michael Misa and Tyler Toffoli on the third. Barclay Goodrow, Zack Ostapchuk and Pavol Regenda round out the forward units. Ryan Reaves, Nick Leddy and Philipp Kurashev are scratched for the Sharks.
Ottawa’s forward combinations are projected with Drake Batherson, Tim Stutzle and Claude Giroux leading the top line. Brady Tkachuk, Dylan Cozens and Ridly Greig form the second line, followed by Nick Cousins, Shane Pinto and Michael Amadio, and a fourth line of Warren Foegele, Lars Eller and Fabian Zetterlund. Stephen Halliday and Kurtis MacDermid are scratched for the Senators.
Sharks Vs Senators: Goalies, Callups And Injuries
Goaltending and recent roster moves shape the matchup. The Sharks recalled Laurent Brossoit from their AHL affiliate; he could appear in his first NHL game since April 28, 2024, after serving as the backup in a recent 4-2 win. San Jose’s Igor Chernyshov left the previous game and did not return, creating a possibility that Ryan Reaves might take his place.
For Ottawa, Linus Ullmark is slated to start again after a 23-save shutout in a 2-0 victory in their last outing. The Senators remain without Jake Sanderson, and Nick Jensen is listed day to day with a lower-body issue. On the Sharks’ side, Ty Dellandrea and Yaroslav Askarov are noted as dealing with lower-body injuries, while Chernyshov is listed with an undisclosed injury.
Playoff Implications, Matchups And What To Watch
The matchup carries distinct stakes for both clubs. The Senators sit at 33-23-9 and begin play five points behind Boston and Detroit in the wild-card chase, with a game in hand on Boston and two on Detroit. San Jose is 32-22-6 and occupies a Western Conference wild-card position, holding a slim margin over nearby challengers in the west. Both teams enter riding momentum: the Sharks won 4-2 in their most recent game, while the Senators posted a 2-0 shutout.
Key matchups include Ottawa’s plans to contain Celebrini, who has been a major offensive force with 94 points in 64 games as a teenager. The Sharks will also see the returns of former Senators Adam Gaudette and Zack Ostapchuk in new roles. Fatigue could factor for both sides after back-to-back action, and special attention will be paid to how each team manages minutes for younger players and recently recalled veterans.
Expect pregame decisions on the final scratches and any last-minute adjustments tied to the day-to-day statuses listed for several defensemen and forwards. The immediate outlook centers on whether Brossoit will get into the net for San Jose and how Ullmark follows up his shutout performance for Ottawa.
