Senators' Zub puts on defensive masterclass in win over Islanders

Lady Luck may have suited up for the other team, but the Ottawa Senators still found a way.

The Senators (6-2-0) didn’t pout after a first period that featured two reversed goal calls and a late New York Islanders tally off of a brutal Shane Pinto turnover. They dug in, tied the game up in the middle frame and won it in extra time.

Pinto scored the shootout winner, Warren Foegele and Ridly Greig connected for the team’s only goal in regulation, and Linus Ullmark made 20 saves for his 10th straight regular-season win including 2025-26.

No time to waste. Let’s get to grading.

Sliding over to the wing and up three lines, Halliday looked anything but out of place on the top trio. He executed the short passes in the breakout, hitting Tim Stützle in stride, and was effective as the first forward into puck battles, helping maintain pressure in the offensive zone. Halliday had immediate chemistry with his new linemates, and as far as Line 1 left wingers are concerned this season, he may have kept up the best. Halliday’s would-be third goal of the season, a short-side snipe, was called back in the first period. Halliday was also elevated to the top power-play unit. Stationed down low on the right side — Brady Tkachuk’s spot the previous handful of seasons — Halliday’s silky hands set up Batherson twice with cross-crease passes on the first man advantage. The only critique: he could be more aggressive in that position, popping out to make a move in tight on the goalie. In the second, he missed wide on a point-blank wrister and was immediately robbed by Semyon Varlamov when the puck bounced back out in front.

Stephen Halliday capitalized on his first line opportunity early, but it was called back for being offside. #GoSensGo

He's looked very good to start this one. Fits so nicely on this line. pic.twitter.com/QyYlgqZn5I

— Everyday Sens (@EverydaySens) October 15, 2026

The top line looked Globetrotter-esque at times; whoever carried the puck in the cycle typically had multiple passing options. And there were three missed calls on New York during their first two shifts. Stützle still took matters into his own hands sometimes, zooming around both Isles defenders to drive the net in the first, but he seemed to have so much more support in the ‘O’ zone compared to stints with Foegele, Fabian Zetterlund and even Greig this season. He dangled on the rush to set up Batherson in the second. The top line got hammered in possession at even strength — shot attempts were 15-2 New York — but the eye test simply did not match up.

Batherson could’ve singlehandedly made this a blowout with the scoring chances he had. He couldn’t really handle those aforementioned feeds from Halliday on the power play, and it looked like he hit two posts, one off a redirection in the second and the other on a wrister from just inside the right dot late in the third. Oh, and if he drags his skate on Stützle’s zone entry ahead of Halliday’s tuck, there’s another one. To be fair, it wasn’t just Batherson whiffing on his opportunities. Halliday didn’t even register a shot attempt when Batherson found him with a nasty between-the-legs feed from behind the goal line. Batherson also put a seam pass on a platter for Stützle on the power play but he missed wide.

If coach Travis Green can ensure Greig is getting extra minutes elsewhere — whether that’s on the kill or sprinkling in a few shifts in the top nine — he may have found a fit with this new fourth line. It worked perfectly on Tuesday: Greig played 17:30, and Foegele and Zetterlund each played 13:39. With two Isles closing in on him early in the first, Greig laid it off to Foegele, whose wrister rang off the cross-bar, despite being called a goal on the ice. Greig caught the Islanders of guard with his speed and had a nose for the net all game. He took a stretch pass from Burakovsky, beat Adam Pelech to the goal and ended up barreling into Varlamov in the second. Later in the frame, he tied it 1-1 on a 2-on-1 with Foegele. One of his best shifts of the night came in the second when he frustrated the hell out of Logan Stanley with some great work along the walls in the offensive zone, and then came back for more, taking contact and keeping his feet moving to draw a tripping penalty.

That was his best game of the season by a long shot. Foegele’s backhand saucer to Greig on the rush to tie it 1-1 was a thing of beauty, especially coming from a player who bobbled his fair share of pucks this month. Foegele had also set up Greig in the first with a brilliant centring pass after some quality cycling with Zetterlund. He should’ve drawn a boarding call in the third. Green was losing it on the bench.

If Zetterlund is going to contribute, it may have to be as a grinding depth forward. Against the Isles, it was the most comfortable he’s looked in the role since Game 1. Zetterlund took care of his puck battles and even won a couple while double-teamed. He shook off Pelech on a solo rush in the third with a hard stop up at the top of the left circle, nearly beating Varlamov with a wrist shot blocker side. The effort was certainly there. Zetterlund once dove to swipe away a 50-50 puck and get a clear in the first, and had two hits.

Three games into his season, Burakovsky’s rhythm is still completely off. He’s passing behind linemates in the breakout, losing control of pucks when pressured, and his indecision is killing his line’s momentum. Midway through the first, he received a pass at the New York line with his back turned to the ‘O’ zone and had two options: backhand it over to Carter Yakemchuk on the right wall for an entry, or get it deep by any means. He pondered for a half second too long and the Isles poked it away. Those kinds of plays have happened several times a game since he returned from injury.

Zero goals and two assists in eight games isn’t good enough for Cozens, but with William Eklund out, he just hasn’t found the right linemates. Though, he does need to hit the net more, lifting it way high on chance in tight on the power play in the second, something we’ve seen too many times the past few games. Cozens had two solid opportunities on net drives in overtime, but took an almost catastrophic tripping penalty with 59 seconds remaining. He went 1-for-6 in faceoffs.

Giroux led the team with eight shot attempts on Tuesday, once gloving down a wild pass from Burakovsky streaking down the right side of the offensive zone and missing by inches far side. There were some forced passes, a couple on the power play, that resulted in turnovers (NHL.com says a game-worst four). He drew a holding call and went 3-for-5 in draws.

How’s that for some redemption? Pinto’s turnover that led to the opening goal was uncharacteristic, to say the least. Receiving an intended outlet pass from Chabot with 15 seconds remaining in the first, all Pinto had to do was get it over the blue line in any manner and the Islanders would’ve had very little time to regroup for a final attack. Instead, he pushed it backwards and had his pocket picked by Matias Maccelli, gifting New York a goal. Pinto was dangerous in the closing stages of regulation and Varlamov made a great blocker save on him in overtime. In the shootout, after watching Batherson and Stützle’s uninspiring attempts, Pinto kept it simple, using the same quick shot 13 inches off the ice on the glove side that he won Ottawa’s other shootout with this season.

Amadio was the only Senator to fail to record a shot attempt. There wasn’t much going offensively for the shutdown line at 5-on-5, but Amadio was strong, as usual, in his board battles, and helped the kill go 3-for-3.

Cousins could’ve drawn a double minor for a cross-check to the face in the third. Instead, he got called for a high-stick of his own a few minutes later. That’s how stripes saw it most of the night.

Spence gave Islanders forwards fits in the dirty areas, right where they’d expect to dominate. He cross-checked, lifted sticks, got body position and used his agility to stay with puck carriers, jumping in at the most opportune moments. He hounded Calum (spelt incorrectly, in my opinion) Ritchie below the goal line and pinned him along the wall in the first, prying the puck away from the 6-foot-3 centre and starting the breakout. The next shift, Spence rubbed out Anthony Duclair on the half wall and got the easy clear. Still in the frame, he won two battles in the span of 20 seconds with Victor Eklund. The last man back after a Thomas Chabot giveaway in the second, Spence got his blade on a cross-ice pass and then batted it out of the air.

It’s like he never left. Zub was absolutely vicious in corner battles and made the smart play with the puck the vast majority of the time. Let’s examine one specific play that best represents his performance. With 4:30 remaining in the second, Brayden Schenn and Ritchie skate in on a rush, with Schenn initiating contact with Zub, attempting to push the Ottawa defender back and create room for Ritchie, the puck carrier. Zub holds his ground and then slips around Schenn, getting his skate on the puck and disrupting Ritchie’s possession as he cut to the middle. A few seconds later, Zub gets the puck behind the net and sends a Hail Mary bank pass to Foegele ahead of the tying goal. And we mustn’t omit his game-saving plays in overtime: Zub had two steals and two clears in the final seconds with the Isles on a 4-on-3 power play.

After seven straight immaculate performances to start the season, Chabot was due for a disappointing night. He turned the puck over multiple times while attempting counter attacks, and his puck touches just seemed slightly off. Chabot was beaten along the walls and wide a few times, and took a high-sticking penalty. He’ll bounce back.

Misguided decisions defined the first half of Yakemchuk’s game. Tyler Kleven was already facing Emil Heineman when Yakemchuk skated over to attack the puck carrier, leaving Simon Holmstrom wide open on the opposite side. Heineman made the easy pass over and Holmstrom skated in on a partial break, forcing Ullmark to make a huge save. Yakemchuk was less pragmatic with the puck in the offensive zone at even strength, his adventures leading to more turnovers than chances. He and Stützle passed far too much at the top of the power play without Yakemchuk unloading a single one-timer or slap shot. His adroit puck protection in overtime helped him draw a hook.

It was an average game for Kleven. He got mean with opponents behind the net and minimized mistakes with the puck. His breakouts weren’t the smoothest, but he took care of the puck for the most part.

Crotty recovered from a couple of early misplays — one, an icing when he had multiple options with the puck — and got back to basics. He sealed off the right wall on a pinch to bump it forward to Foegele, which began 40 seconds of offensive-zone pressure in the first. He skated onto loose pucks for two shots — each was blocked — on that shift. Crotty had one block and one hit in 11:42 of ice time.

Ullmark stayed at the top of his crease all night, coming out to challenge Holmstrom on a break in the first, recognizing Kleven had any potential rebound covered on his left, and making a solid blocker save. He calmly and confidently gloved down a Maccelli wrister on a rush in overtime. Ullmark went 3-for-3 in the shootout — no attempt came close to beating him.