What happened: TSN 1200 hosts credited Tim Stutzle with driving Ottawa Senators offense and Linus Ullmark with anchoring the defense. The comments came during Ottawa's early 2026-27 regular-season stretch with Sanderson and Zub sidelined. Halliday scored to put Ottawa ahead 2-0 on Thanksgiving Monday.

Why it matters: Reliance on one center and the starting goaltender narrows Ottawa's margin when depth defenders are unavailable. Early-season points carry added weight in a tight Eastern race. Sustained form from both would stabilize the lineup until the blue line is whole.

What to watch: Ottawa's availability on defense and secondary scoring behind Stutzle are the next indicators. Continued starts from Ullmark will show how long the current split lasts.