Ottawa Senators vs San Jose Sharks Picks and Predictions for Saturday October 31 2026
Ottawa already lost to San Jose once this season. And it wasn’t close. The Sharks went into Ottawa and won 6-2.
So why am I leaning toward the Senators in the rematch?
Because I don’t think that first game tells the whole story. Ottawa has been playing better overall, and San Jose hasn’t exactly been dominating at home. The Sharks are dangerous, especially when their young scorers get going. But I’m not convinced they’re the better team over 60 minutes.
The Senators visit SAP Center in San Jose on Saturday, October 31, with puck drop at 4 PM ET. The moneyline and total weren’t reliably confirmed in the sources I checked. I’m taking Ottawa to win, and I think the Over deserves a look if the number is reasonable. Get ready for all the NHL action with our free NHL picks.
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Ottawa Senators Need to Stop Giving Games Away
Ottawa is 8-5-1, including 3-3 on the road. The Senators have won five of their last ten, but Thursday’s 6-5 overtime loss to Los Angeles was a frustrating one. Dylan Cozens scored twice, Ottawa got five goals, and it still wasn’t enough. That’s the kind of game that makes a coach want to spend the next practice working on defense.
The Senators have averaged three goals and allowed three over their last ten games. That’s not terrible, but it’s not the kind of difference that makes you comfortable betting them every night. Ottawa has also been taking too many penalties, averaging 13.1 penalty minutes per game. That’s one of the highest marks in the league. Against San Jose, that could be a problem. The Sharks have enough young talent to punish careless penalties.
Drake Batherson has six goals and seven assists over his last ten games, while Shane Pinto has four goals and five assists this season. Cozens is coming off that two-goal performance against Los Angeles. So the offense has options. The bigger concern is in goal. Linus Ullmark is out with a lower-body injury, and Thomas Chabot has been dealing with an upper-body problem. Ottawa is also missing William Eklund, with Warren Foegele and Andre Burakovsky carrying injury concerns. That’s a lot to manage on the road.
San Jose Sharks Have Already Beaten Ottawa Once
San Jose is 7-6-1, including 2-3 at home. The Sharks have been competitive, but they haven’t been particularly consistent. They’ve won four of their last ten games, and the offense has been averaging only 2.7 goals during that stretch. That’s not a huge number, especially when you’re facing an Ottawa team capable of scoring four or five.
The Sharks have been allowing 2.8 goals over their last ten, so they’ve been reasonably solid defensively. But that 6-2 win over Ottawa is the result everybody remembers. San Jose found ways to finish its chances and made the Senators pay for mistakes. Can the Sharks do that again? Maybe. But asking them to repeat a four-goal victory against a team that’s been playing better overall is a different proposition.
Will Smith has six goals and four assists this season, while Macklin Celebrini has five goals and six assists over his last ten games. Those two are the players Ottawa has to watch. Give them room and they’ll make something happen. San Jose is missing Alexander Wennberg and Igor Chernyshov with upper-body injuries, while Quentin Musty and Kyle Keyser are also unavailable. The Sharks have enough talent to compete, but they’re not deep enough to shrug off every absence.
Ottawa Senators vs San Jose Sharks Picks and Predictions
Ottawa Senators Moneyline
I’m taking Ottawa. San Jose already beat the Senators 6-2, and that makes this a dangerous pick. The Sharks know they can score against Ottawa, and the Senators are still missing Ullmark. But Ottawa is 8-5-1, has been getting production from several forwards and has a chance to make up for Thursday’s overtime loss. San Jose is only 2-3 at home, and I don’t trust the Sharks to produce another six-goal performance. I think Ottawa plays a more controlled game and finds a way to win.
Over 5.5 Goals — Target Total
I’ll look at Over 5.5. The first meeting finished with eight goals, and Ottawa just played an 11-goal game against Los Angeles. The Senators have enough offense to score three or four, but they’ve been giving up chances too. San Jose doesn’t have to dominate to help this Over. Two or three goals from the Sharks might be enough. The risk is both teams settling down defensively after recent high-scoring games. But I can see Ottawa winning 4-2, and that gets us over.
Final Picks: Ottawa Senators Moneyline and Over 5.5 Goals (target total)
Preview prepared October 30, 2026.
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