Analysis of the Ottawa Senators' 2025-26 NHL schedule reveals they will play 14 back-to-back games, often facing rested opponents. This puts them at a disadvantage compared to teams like the Montreal Canadiens. The Senators' performance in such games last season was strong, but the schedule imbalance raises questions about league accommodations for other teams, including the new Ottawa Charge.
In a perfect world, every NHL game would feature two equally well-rested teams, but with 32 teams in 32 busy multi-event buildings playing 84 games, it's pretty much impossible.
With the new schedule released on Thursday, one of the things that teams check straight away is the number of back-to-back games they'll have to play. And the Senators didn't fare particularly well in that area, certainly not compared to the Montreal Canadiens, who were handed a major advantage over the rest of the Atlantic Division. , the Senators will play back-to-back games on 14 occasions.
In 11 of those games, they'll face a team that's had at least one full day's rest. Only Boston , Buffalo , and Pittsburgh will face that disadvantage more often than Ottawa next season.
On the other hand, in games where the Sens are rested, they'll face a tired team only 5 times. Only Toronto and Winnipeg are handed that advantage less frequently next season. They play the second-fewest games when they're less rested than their opponent, and the most games when they'reThe disparity looks significant, but it's worth remembering that the league also tries to accommodate team scheduling requests, which generally aren't made public.
It's reasonable to assume, for example, that if a team tells the league that playing as many home games as possible on Thursday nights is their biggest priority, then maybe they can count on having to sacrifice in other areas to accommodate. With 15 home games on Thursday night next season, that represents more than a third of the Sens' schedule at the CTC. The Ottawa Charge add a new wrinkle to scheduling as well.
After announcing that the CTC will be their new home next season, they'll now be grabbing 15 CTC dates of their own, plus playoffs. The good news for the Sens is that back-to-back games failed to slow them down last season. In 2025-26, they posted a 9-3-2 record when playing in game two of a back-to-back. Hockeyviz.com also tracks what they describe as "sludge games," where neither team is rested.
Those sleepy gatherings will happen to the Sens only three times this season. By contrast, the Senators will play nine games in which both teams have had at least two days off, with all but one of those well-rested matchups coming in the second half of the season. This article was first published in The Hockey News. For more Sens coverage at The Hockey News, click on one of the Sens headlines below:
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