Senators keep lineup intact for Thanksgiving matchup with Devils

NEWARK — The Ottawa Senators will keep their lineup unchanged for Monday night's game against the New Jersey Devils in Newark, N.J.

Goaltender Linus Ullmark will start in net, head coach Travis Green told reporters, while defencemen Artem Zub and Jake Sanderson remain out with injuries.

"I think this has been our best start since I can remember," forward Drake Batherson said after Saturday's 3-2 shootout win over Nashville.

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Ullmark is undefeated in four starts this season with a .942 save percentage and a 1.34 goals-against average.

"He's always been sick, I've known that," centre Shane Pinto said of Ullmark. "He's won a Vezina. To win a Vezina is not that easy to do and we know the talent level that he has. ... He knows we have his back and he's in a good place, and you could just tell by the way he's been playing."

Zub is still not ready to make his season debut as he recovers from a knee injury suffered during last year's post-season.

Sanderson will not return to the lineup after re-aggravating a lower-body injury in the Senators' season opener.

With Ottawa thin on the blue line, Hoyt Stanley will stay in the lineup for his third career NHL game. He has yet to get a point, but has picked up two penalty minutes.

The Senators have continued to thrive despite injuries to key defensemen Sanderson and Zub, as well as forward William Eklund (ankle), who is set to miss an extended period of time.

Batherson scored the tying goal with just 1:23 remaining in the third period against Nashville before Tim Stutzle and Pinto scored in the shootout to help the Senators earn their fourth victory in their first five games.

"So it's nice being on the other side of it," Batherson said. "You know, there's so many games this month. We've just got to keep playing the way we're playing, and the more consistent we are, the better off we'll be."

New Jersey's veteran netminder Jake Allen reached an impressive milestone, playing in his 500th career game, when he helped the Devils avoid a third consecutive defeat as they earned a 4-1 home victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.

"It was a proud day for me," Allen said of his momentous victory. "I think there was a point where I didn't know if I was going to hit (500 games). I didn't think it was in reach. I've extended my career a lot longer than I thought possible and I'm pretty proud of that. I'm a huge proponent on longevity so I'm proud to be able to say that I've played this long."

Allen got plenty of help from the Devils' top offensive producers as captain Nico Hischier finished with two goals and an assist, with Jesper Bratt (one goal, one assist) and Jack Hughes (two assists) each picking up a pair of points as well.

After starting the season 1-for-14 on the man advantage through the first three games, the Devils' power play found its footing on Saturday, capitalizing on three of four opportunities.

"We put the work in and we did a lot of practice, a lot of routes, and I think that's when it just starts clicking," Hischier said of the Devils' power play. "You just need to stay patient sometimes. I think it's normal to go through stretches and we stayed patient, we worked on it."

The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Monday.

With files from Sportsnet and Big News Network.com