The National Hockey League’s Atlantic Division was forecasted to be one of the most competitive in recent memory.
Last season, four teams from the Atlantic finished with 100 points: the Tampa Bay Lightning (109), Buffalo Sabres (106), Montreal Canadiens (106), and Boston Bruins (100). The Ottawa Senators finished fifth in the division with 99 points, a point total that would have placed them second in the Metropolitan Division and first in the Pacific.
Coming into 2026-27, the division was expected to be even more competitive, with a healthy Florida Panthers team expected to jump back into contention for the top of the division, and a rejuvenated Toronto Maple Leafs roster hoping to get back to the playoffs after a one-year absence.
Through the first two weeks of the new campaign, the Atlantic’s three Canadians teams are off to very different starts.
Senators Grab Early Points
The Senators currently hold the top spot in the division with a 3-1-0 record and are coming off a thrilling 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night. Ottawa has been sharp on both ends of the ice to start the season, having allowed two or fewer goals in three of their four games while potting an above-average 3.00 goals per game thus far.
The Senators have started quickly despite the absence of star defenceman Jake Sanderson, who played just 4:29 in the club’s season-opening win over the Maple Leafs before departing with a lower-body injury.
Fellow blueliner Artem Zub has yet to make his season debut as he continues to rehab from a knee injury.
Centre Tim Stutzle continues to look the part of a star forward, and leads the team with three goals and six points through four games.
After going on a tear to reach the playoffs last season, the Senators have picked up right where they left off and appear to be a threat in a dangerous division.
Habs’ Defensive Struggles Lead to Cold Start
The Montreal Canadiens came into the season with sky-high expectations after reaching the Eastern Conference Final last season.
Despite failing to make the impact top-six forward addition they were searching for, the Canadiens are still expected to compete for the division title with a returning young core that gained valuble experience in a pair of seven-game series wins.
However, the Canadiens have crawled out of the gates, thanks to a porous team defence. Since a season-opening win over the Leafs, the Habs have dropped their past three games and have allowed 17 goals over the three defeats. Montreal is allowing 4.75 goals per game, the fourth-highest mark in the league, and sits at 1-2-1.
Goaltender Jakub Dobes has struggled after a breakout performance in the postseason and carries a 4.43 goals-against average and .856 save percentage across three starts.
Special teams have also failed the Habs early in the season, as the power play - which finished at 23.1 per cent last season - has sputtered to a 7.7 success rate this season.
After Thursday’s 5-2 loss to the Nashville Predators, head coach Martin St. Louis says his biggest concern moving forward is keeping the team even keeled and ready for their next game.
“I feel like a game like tonight, my biggest concern is the morale for the boys, staying in a good place emotionally,” said St. Louis. “We played a good game. Life is not fair. You keep going. Tomorrow the sun will shine, hopefully. We’ll go back to work. It’s life. You just get up and go.”
Injuries to Calder Trophy runner-up Ivan Demidov and defenceman Kaiden Guhle have hurt the Canadiens’ depth as they continue to search for answers to shake an early-season slump.
New-Look Leafs Off to Solid Start
New general manager John Chayka made significant changes to the Leafs’ roster over the summer, bringing in a total of 13 new players to overhaul a team that finished 28th in the NHL in 2025-26.
Heading the changes is new top-line forward Kirill Marchenko - who was acquired in a blockbuster deal that sent Matthew Knies to the Columbus Blue Jackets - and first-overall pick Gavin McKenna.
Both players have made their marks early on. Marchenko is tied for second on the team with four points (one goal), while McKenna is on the board with a goal and two assists in five games.
Toronto is off to a 2-2-1 start, most recently losing 4-3 to the Vegas Golden Knights after blowing a 3-0 lead.
“It’s a big point for us on the road against a good team. We had a good start, then things kind of got away from us a little bit,” said Leafs’ goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. “We just move on with our game and keep building.”
Captain Auston Matthews has looked healthy to start the year after a pair of injury-plagued seasons and has six points in five games.