With Artem Zub (undisclosed) out of the lineup on Thursday, Gilbert will re-enter the lineup against the New York Rangers. Gilbert was a third-round pick back in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft and has been a journeyman throughout his career, unable to become a permanent fixture at the NHL level. The 29-year-old defenseman has 20 points (3G / 17A) in 111 career NHL games.
Eller is battling an undisclosed injury and will not play on Thursday against the New York Rangers. The veteran 36-year-old forward has six points (2G / 4A) in 26 games this season, but has been held off the scoresheet in 14 consecutive games.
Zub showed no signs of an injury in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens, scoring a goal and playing 24:02 time-on-ice, but will not play on Thursday due to an undisclosed injury. The 30-year-old Zub has 31 hits, 39 blocks, and 11 points (3G / 8A) in 26 games.
The Senators have been liberal with their goalie rotation over the past two weeks, and will turn to Merilainen to tend the twine on Thursday against the New York Rangers. The 23-year-old Merilainen allowed four goals on 31 shots (.871 SV%) in his most recent game, a 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues, and has battled consistency issues this season. He has a 3.40 GAA and .874 SV% in six games (3-3-0). The Senators enter Thursday's contest as -128 home favorites against a Rangers team coming off an impressive 3-2 overtime win over the Dallas Stars.
The Senators have been liberal with their goalie rotation over the past two weeks, and will turn to Merilainen to tend the twine on Thursday against the New York Rangers. The 23-year-old Merilainen allowed four goals on 31 shots (.871 SV%) in his most recent game, a 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues, and has battled consistency issues this season. He has a 3.40 GAA and .874 SV% in six games (3-3-0). The Senators enter Thursday's contest as -128 home favorites against a Rangers team coming off an impressive 3-2 overtime win over the Dallas Stars.
Halliday made his NHL debut two weeks ago, tallying an assist in four games, but returned to the AHL, accommodating the return of Ottawa's captain Brady Tkachuk. The 23-year-old Halliday has 19 points (1G / 18A) in 17 games with the Belleville Senators (AHL) this season.
MacDermid will slot in for Nick Cousins, who is listed as a scratch for Tuesday's game in Montreal. MacDermid has appeared in eight games this season and is yet to register a point.
It's unclear whether Cousins is dealing with an undisclosed injury or if he's simply a healthy scratch. Kurtis MacDermid will draw into the lineup in his place.
Hodgson played eight games with Ottawa last month, drawing into the lineup due to injuries, but will return to the Belleville Senators (AHL). The 29-year-old has four points (3G / 1A) in 10 games with Belleville this season.
Ullmark had a decent month of November, posting a 2.50 GAA and .902 SV% in eight games (4-1-3), before being lit up for six goals on 26 shots (.769 SV%) in Sunday's 6-1 loss to the Dallas Stars. The 32-year-old Ullmark has a 3.10 GAA and .874 SV% in 19 games this season (9-6-4) and hopes to rebound when he returns to the crease on Tuesday against the Montreal Canadiens. Ottawa enters the contest as slight -111 road favorites against a Montreal team coming off a 7-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.
MacDermid has not played since November 13th, but will return to the lineup on Tuesday, adding a physical presence against the Montreal Canadiens. The 31-year-old MacDermid is averaging 4:25 time-on-ice and has zero points in eight games this season.
The Senators have won three straight when Ullmark has tended the twine, and he will return to the crease on Sunday against the Dallas Stars. The 32-year-old Ullmark was solid in his most recent outing, saving 32 of 35 shots (.914 SV%) in a 4-3 shootout win over the Vegas Golden Knights. Ullmark had a slow start to the 2025-26 season but has been much better over the past three weeks, posting a 2.20 GAA and .914 SV% in six games (4-1-1).
Tkachuk suffered an injury in the third game of the season, underwent thumb surgery, and has been sidelined since. The Senators' Captain will return to the lineup on Friday against the St. Louis Blues, giving a boost to his team that has fared reasonably well without him, going 12-7-4 through 23 games. The 26-year-old Tkachuk scored points (0G / 3A) through three games this season prior to his injury.
The Senators are off to a solid 12-7-4 start to the season, largely without the services of Brady Tkachuk, but he will return from an injury on Friday against the St. Louis Blues. Merilainen will tend the twine, looking to rebound after a 2-1 loss in his most recent performance when he saved 20 of 22 shots (.909 SV%). The 23-year-old netminder has a 3.25 GAA and .875 SV% in five games (3-2-0). The Senators enter the action as -114 road favorites against the Blues.
Halliday made his NHL last week, tallying an assist in four games, but will return to the AHL, accommodating the return of Ottawa's captain Brady Tkachuk. The 23-year-old Halliday has 16 points (1G / 15A) in 15 games with the Belleville Senators (AHL) this season.
The Senators are coming off a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings and will continue their road trip on Wednesday, turning to Ullmark to tend the twine against the Vegas Golden Knights. Ullmark has been solid in his last two outings (2-0-0), saving 40 of 44 combined shots (.909 SV%). The 32-year-old netminder has a 2.95 GAA and .877 SV% in 17 games this season (8-5-4). The Senators enter the action on Wednesday as +154 road underdogs against a 10-5-7 Golden Knights team.
