Ottawa Senators open 2026 with a comeback win over the Washington Capitals

The Ottawa Senators kicked off 2026 in impressive fashion, earning a dramatic 4–3 victory over the Washington Capitals. The game was played in front of a sold-out crowd of 18,433 at the Canadian Tire Centre.

Trailing 2–0 after the first period, the Senators managed to turn the game around. Fabian Zetterlund scored the game-winning goal with 2:22 remaining, snapping the team’s three-game losing streak. David Perron, Ridly Greig, and Nick Jensen also found the back of the net, while goaltender Leevi Merilainen made 26 saves to anchor the comeback.

Head coach Travis Green said a critical moment came during the first intermission, when the team lacked intensity and a winning mindset. Over the final two periods, Ottawa increased its pace, physicality, and success in puck battles — changes that ultimately paid off.

Despite a late goal by Aliaksei Protas, the Senators remained composed and sealed the win against a Capitals squad led by Alex Ovechkin.

The victory provided an important emotional boost for Ottawa, which remains outside the Eastern Conference playoff picture but showed resilience and unity at the start of the new year.