Blackhawks vs. Senators: NHL Betting Odds and Prediction

Jeremy Perry
Last Updated: October 4, 2018

The two teams get their 2018-19 seasons underway on Thursday night in Ottawa.

NHL Odds And Betting Analysis

Obviously, since this is the first game of the season for both sides, we don’t have a ton of trends to work with. However, we do know that Chicago dominates this series and they still mostly have the same core intact. The Blackhawks have won 18 of the last 27 meetings. More recently, they’ve won three of the last four meetings and two straight in Ottawa. Sports Interaction’s NHL betting odds currently lists the Blackhawks as -125 favorites.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks are coming off one of their worst seasons in recent history after finishing with a 33-39-10 record and missing the playoffs a year ago. The question now is whether or not that was the start of a franchise decline or just a blip in the road. The hope in Chicago is that a rejuvenated veteran core and a rising cast of young stars can mesh well and turn things around this season.

They are the more talented of the two teams in this matchup and that should be the difference in this one. Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Brandon Saad should all put up better numbers after underachieving a year ago. With the rise of young stars like Alex DeBrincat and Nick Schmaltz, it could create the perfect storm for Chicago.

One of the biggest concerns for the Blackhawks is the health of franchise goaltender Corey Crawford. Head coach Joel Quenneville has said that Crawford could return as soon as October 18th. However, the fact that he has missed so much time could hurt his overall potential for this season. Veteran Cam Ward is expected to start for Chicago on Thursday night. Ward went 23-14-4 with a 2.73 goals against average and a .906 save percentage a year ago. However, he spent his entire career in Carolina, so we’re not entire sure if he’s merely bad or average – as he’s been for about seven seasons now – or if he’s just been stuck on a bad team.

Ottawa Senators

Trading away Erik Karlsson just a few weeks before the season begins is never a good sign. And this comes on the heels of finishing second-last in the East last season. While the Senators will try to tell their fans to keep the faith, that move clearly signals that they have no intention of competing for a Stanley Cup this season. They have some decent pieces but their with Karlsson gone, their defense could rank among the worst in the NHL this season. It’s unlikely that goaltender Craig Anderson will be able to save them.

Anderson is looking for a bounce back season after going 23-25-6 with a 3.32 goals against average and a .898 save percentage last season. Anderson posted a 2.28 goals against average in 2016-17. However, he is now 37 years old, so there is no guarantee that he will bounce back this season. He could very be past his prime and even if not, he doesn’t the same type of help around him that he’s had in previous years.

Ottawa might not finish with the worst record in the league but they should be close.