Senators Vs Canucks: senators vs canucks projected lineups and injury notes
senators vs canucks — Who: Ottawa Senators and Vancouver Canucks; What: projected lineups, injuries and goalie choices; When: March 9, 2026 at 9: 00 pm ET; Where: Vancouver as the Canucks open an eight-game home stand; Why: roster shifts from injuries and recent transactions have forced lineup adjustments.
Senators Vs Canucks: Projected lineups
The Senators will ice a forward group led by Drake Batherson, Tim Stutzle and Claude Giroux, with Brady Tkachuk flanked by Dylan Cozens and Ridly Greig. The depth lines list Nick Cousins, Shane Pinto and Michael Amadio, with Warren Foegele, Lars Eller and Fabian Zetterlund completing the forward rotation. Scratched are Stephen Halliday and Kurtis MacDermid.
Ottawa’s defensive shuffle follows an injury to Sanderson; Thomas Chabot moves up to the top pair and Matinpalo will enter the lineup for the first time in 12 games. Reimer is slated to start in goal for the Senators for the first time in six games.
Vancouver’s practice lines feature Jake DeBrusk with Elias Pettersson and Nils Hoglander on one line, Liam Ohgren with Marco Rossi and Brock Boeser on another, and Evander Kane with Aatu Räty and Drew O’Connor as a third line. Max Sasson, Teddy Blueger and Linus Karlsson are listed among the forwards. Curtis Douglas skated on the right side of Kane’s line at the morning skate and is expected to make his Canucks debut if Kane or Boeser cannot play.
Injury notes and goalie decisions
Senators injuries include Sanderson, who is listed week to week after a hit along the boards in the second period of a 7-4 win at the Seattle Kraken on Saturday; P. O. Joseph (upper body) and Filip Chytil (facial fracture) are also injured. Derek Forbort is out with an undisclosed injury. The Senators will insert Matinpalo into the lineup and promote Chabot to fill the vacancy created by Sanderson.
On the Vancouver side, Thatcher Demko is out following hip surgery. Evander Kane did not join the morning skate and Brock Boeser left early; Canucks coach Adam Foote described both as “just taking care of a couple things” and said they “should be fine. ” Vancouver projects Kevin Lankinen to start in net after a strong outing in the most recent game, while Curtis Douglas — claimed off waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday — practiced with the club and could debut if needed.
Reactions, context and what’s next
Senators coach Travis Green said Sanderson is week to week, reflecting a forced defensive reconfiguration for Ottawa ahead of tonight’s matchup. Canucks coach Adam Foote offered the brief status update on Kane and Boeser and confirmed the team was managing day-to-day issues leading into the matchup. The Canucks enter after a 3–2 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday, closing a two-game road trip in which they collected three of four available points.
Key things to watch: whether Curtis Douglas makes his Vancouver debut, how Ottawa’s top pair responds to the loss of Sanderson, and the goaltending decisions with Reimer starting for the Senators and Lankinen projected in net for the Canucks. The matchup labeled senators vs canucks will be decided on the ice at 9: 00 pm ET and will likely produce further lineup and injury updates during the game window. Expect official confirmations on scratches and any late changes as teams skate toward puck drop; the next updates will come from both coaching staffs as they confirm final rosters before first puck.
