The New York Islanders (1-3-0) are set to face the Ottawa Senators (2-3-0) on Saturday afternoon at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa. Both of these teams are coming off wins in their last games and will try to earn a second win in a row in this matchup. Before the puck drops in Ottawa, you can keep scrolling to get my Islanders vs Senators prediction for this matinee on the ice.
Our Islanders vs Senators Pick
- Pick: Over 5.5
- Confidence: 4/5
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: New York Islanders vs Ottawa Senators
- Date & Time: Saturday, October 18, 2025, at 3:00 PM EDT
- Venue: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, ON
- Broadcast: ESPN+
Islanders vs Senators Odds
| Odds | Moneyline | Puckline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Islanders | +120 | +1.5 (-225) | Over 5.5 |
| Senators | -140 | -1.5 (+175) | Under 5.5 |
Key Storylines
- Islanders’ Power Play Improvement: After a disappointing 12.56% success rate last season, the Islanders have shown significant improvement on the power play. They have scored three power play goals in as many games this season, including a game-winning goal against the Edmonton Oilers with a man advantage. There is still room for improvement for the Islanders on the power play but they are heading in the right direction.
- Senators’ Response Without Tkachuk: The Senators are without captain Brady Tkachuk. He is sidelined for six to eight weeks after having thumb surgery. But the Senators defeated the Seattle Kraken 4-3 in a shootout without Tkachuk in their last game. Dylan Cozens scored the tying goal, and Tim Stutzle and Shane Pinto netted shootout goals. Ottawa will try to grab a second straight win without Tkachuk here.
- Goaltending: Ilya Sorokin has had a nightmare start to this season for the Islanders. He is 0-3-0 with a 4.19 GAA going into this contest and he needs to be better to help the Isles win more hockey games. Ottawa’s Linus Ullmark is 2-2 on the year with a 3.73 GAA.
Best Player Props
| Player | Prop |
|---|---|
| Bo Horvat (NYI) | Anytime Goal Scorer |
| Tim Stutzle (OTT) | Anytime Goal Scorer |
| Matthew Schaefer (NYI) | Over 0.5 Assists |
Betting Trends & H2H
- The Islanders are 1-3 on the puckline going into this contest.
- Ottawa is 1-4 on the puckline through five games.
- The Islanders are 3-1 to the over so far this season.
- Ottawa has gone over the total in four of its first five outings.
- This is the first of three regular-season games to be played between these teams this season.
Islanders vs Senators Model Projection
- Score Projection: Islanders 5 – Senators 4
- Win Probability: Islanders 55%, Senators 45%
Final Thoughts
Both defenses in this game have not been good so far this year. The Isles are allowing 3.75 goals per game on the season and Ottawa is allowing 5.00 goals per game. Those struggles on defense should lead to this game going over the total in Ottawa. I’ll bet the over, as I think there is a higher upside with the total than there is betting on either of these teams to play enough defense to win this one.
