Forget the Battle of Ontario or the Battle of Alberta, we’re ready to see the Battle of Tkachuk as Matthew Tkachuk‘s Calgary Flames ride into Ottawa on Thursday to start a three-game set with little brother Brady Tkachuk‘s Senators.

The Flames are a -155 favourite to win on the NHL odds with a total of 6.0.

Flames vs. Senators Betting Analysis

Calgary has struggled to score this year and it likely won’t get any easier in their third game in four nights.  The Flames are 7-11-2 on the Over/Under, hitting the Over in just four of 12 road games.  Calgary is 9-11 against the spread this year.  They have covered the spread four times on the road.

As Ottawa’s young players continue to develop and improve as a team, the goals will come, but as of now, goals are still hard to come by.  The Sens have been an Under team in five of their last six homes games.  Ottawa is 10-11 ATS overall and they have covered in six of nine homes games this year.

Calgary Flames

Rest will be the biggest issue facing Calgary as this is the second night of a back-to-back and also their third game in four nights.  After Andrew Mangiapane scored the game’s first goal with under four minutes to play against the Leafs on Wednesday, it looked like the Flames were going to shut out Toronto for the second straight game.  Unfortunately for Calgary, they allowed William Nylander to tie the game late and then win it in overtime, giving the Flames their fourth loss in their last five games.  David Rittich stopped 37 of 39 shots.  With Jacob Markstrom still listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury, Rittich could see his second start in as many nights on Thursday.  In five starts this year, Rittich is 1-3-1 with a 2.29 goals-against average and .919 save percentage.

Inconsistency has been the biggest issue for the Flames.  This is a team that has already had multiple losing streaks of at least three games this year, yet they almost kept one of the NHL’s highest scoring teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs, from scoring in two straight games.  Fresh off an overtime loss and playing for the second night in a row, this could be a tough game for Calgary.

Ottawa Senators

Ottawa comes into this game after sweeping a two-game set with Montreal, which essentially cost Claude Julien his job as the Canadiens head coach.  The Senators’ resurgence is in large part due to their young guns.  In a 5-4 shootout win on Tuesday, Brady Tkachuk (age: 21) had two goals, Drake Batherson netted his third goal in three games (age: 22), Erik Brannstrom scored his first NHL goal on the power play (age: 21), while Tim Stutzle (age: 19) and Josh Norris (age: 21) each scored in the shootout.  Norris is second in the rookie scoring race with 12 points (4G, 8A) and Stutzle is fourth with 10 points (5G, 5A).

With a team as young as Ottawa, it has taken some time, but they seem to be starting to turn a corner.  Ottawa’s last eight goals have been scored by players aged 22 or younger.  The Sens are still nowhere close to being a contender, but the youth movement is at least showing a picture of what the future could look like.  Up against a tired Calgary team, Ottawa is looking like a great value bet.

NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Flames vs. Senators?

• Regular Season

Flames Team Leaders

CAL

Points	Elias Lindholm 36
+ / -	Elias Lindholm 4
Shots	Matthew Tkachuk 112
Penalty Mins	Matthew Tkachuk 41
Wins	Jacob Markstrom 14
GAA	Jacob Markstrom 2.88

OTT

Points	Thomas Chabot 26
+ / -	Alex Formenton 4
Shots	Brady Tkachuk 174
Penalty Mins	Brady Tkachuk 47
Wins	Matt Murray 7
GAA	Filip Gustavsson 1.81

• Regular Season

Senators Team Leaders

CAL

Points	Elias Lindholm 36
+ / -	Elias Lindholm 4
Shots	Matthew Tkachuk 112
Penalty Mins	Matthew Tkachuk 41
Wins	Jacob Markstrom 14
GAA	Jacob Markstrom 2.88

OTT

Points	Thomas Chabot 26
+ / -	Alex Formenton 4
Shots	Brady Tkachuk 174
Penalty Mins	Brady Tkachuk 47
Wins	Matt Murray 7
GAA	Filip Gustavsson 1.81

Injuries

Calgary

Mikael Backlund (C)

Prob Sun Undisclosed - 02 / 04 / 21

Christopher Tanev (D)

Prob Fri Undisclosed - 31 / 03 / 21

Brett Ritchie (RW)

Ques Sat Lower Body - 22 / 03 / 21

Joakim Nordstrom (C)

Prob Fri Lower Body - 10 / 03 / 21

Sam Bennett (C)

Ques Thurs Undisclosed - 09 / 03 / 21

Jacob Markstrom (G)

Mid March Upper Body - 22 / 02 / 21

Sean Monahan (C)

Ques Mon Lower Body - 21 / 02 / 21

Mikael Backlund (C)

Ques Wed Lower Body - 14 / 02 / 21

Derek Ryan (C)

Out indefinitely Finger - 05 / 02 / 21

Dillon Dube (C)

Ques Sat Lower Body - 20 / 01 / 21

Ottawa

Erik Gudbranson (D)

Ques Thurs Personal - 04 / 04 / 21

Micheal Haley (LW)

Out indefinitely Groin - 03 / 04 / 21

Jacob Bernard-Docker (D)

Out indefinitely Illness - 03 / 04 / 21

Shane Pinto (C)

Out indefinitely Illness - 03 / 04 / 21

Colin White (C)

Prob Mon Upper Body - 01 / 04 / 21

Austin Watson (LW)

Late April Hand - 23 / 03 / 21

Colin White (C)

Ques Mon Upper Body - 18 / 03 / 21

Joey Daccord (G)

out for season Lower Body - 18 / 03 / 21

Anton Forsberg (G)

Out indefinitely Illness - 18 / 03 / 21

Matt Murray (G)

Out indefinitely Upper Body - 15 / 03 / 21

Injuries

Calgary

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Mikael Backlund (C)	Prob Sun	Undisclosed - 02 / 04 / 21	1-1	0-1-1	+ -
Backlund missed the last game due to an undetermined ailment, but it is likely that he will be a participant in Sunday's battle with the Maple Leafs.
Christopher Tanev (D)	Prob Fri	Undisclosed - 31 / 03 / 21	1-2	1-1-1	+ -
Tanev is dealing with an undisclosed injury, but it is anticipated that he will be active versus the Oilers on Friday.
Brett Ritchie (RW)	Ques Sat	Lower Body - 22 / 03 / 21	2-6	1-5-2	+ -
Ritchie has sat out the last three games due to a lower-body injury, and it is uncertain if he will play Saturday against the Jets.
Joakim Nordstrom (C)	Prob Fri	Lower Body - 10 / 03 / 21	5-9	5-7-2	+ -
Nordstrom has been out of commission with a lower-body injury, but it is likely that he will return against the Jets on Friday.
Sam Bennett (C)	Ques Thurs	Undisclosed - 09 / 03 / 21	5-9	5-7-2	+ -
Bennett is nursing an unknown injury, and it has yet to be established if he will suit up against the Canadiens on Thursday.
Jacob Markstrom (G)	Mid March	Upper Body - 22 / 02 / 21	10-12	9-10-3	+ -
Markstrom has been designated for the injured reserve list due to an upper-body injury, and he is not expected to return until the middle of March.
Sean Monahan (C)	Ques Mon	Lower Body - 21 / 02 / 21	10-13	9-11-3	+ -
Monahan has missed the previous two contests due to a lower-body injury, and it is unclear if he will face the Maple Leafs on Monday.
Mikael Backlund (C)	Ques Wed	Lower Body - 14 / 02 / 21	11-16	10-13-4	+ -
Backlund was held out of the last contest with a lower-body injury, and it is unknown if he will be available against the Canucks on Wednesday.
Derek Ryan (C)	Out indefinitely	Finger - 05 / 02 / 21	12-19	11-16-4	+ -
Ryan has been posted to the long-term injured reserve list with a fractured finger, and team officials have yet to provide an exact return date.
Dillon Dube (C)	Ques Sat	Lower Body - 20 / 01 / 21	15-22	14-18-5	+ -
Dube has sat out the previous three games due to a lower-body injury, and it is unknown if he will be available for Saturday's contest against the Canadiens.

Ottawa

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Erik Gudbranson (D)	Ques Thurs	Personal - 04 / 04 / 21	1-0	1-0	+ -
Gudbranson has missed the last two games for the birth of his child, and it is unknown if he will be available for Thursday's game versus the Oilers.
Micheal Haley (LW)	Out indefinitely	Groin - 03 / 04 / 21	1-1	1-1	+ -
Haley has wound up on the injured reserve list with a groin injury, and he will miss an extended period.
Jacob Bernard-Docker (D)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 03 / 04 / 21	1-1	1-1	+ -
Bernard-Docker is on the COVID-19 Protocol list, and it is unclear how long he will be idle.
Shane Pinto (C)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 03 / 04 / 21	1-1	1-1	+ -
Pinto is on the COVID-19 Protocol list, and team officials have yet to provide an exact return date.
Colin White (C)	Prob Mon	Upper Body - 01 / 04 / 21	2-1	1-2	+ -
White has been activated from the injured reserve list after recovering from an upper-body injury, and he is projected to take on the Jets on Monday.
Austin Watson (LW)	Late April	Hand - 23 / 03 / 21	4-1	1-4	+ -
Watson has been placed on the injured reserve list with a broken hand, and he is expected to miss four to six weeks.
Colin White (C)	Ques Mon	Upper Body - 18 / 03 / 21	5-1	1-5	+ -
White is bothered by an upper-body injury, and it is undetermined if he will take on the Flames on Monday.
Joey Daccord (G)	out for season	Lower Body - 18 / 03 / 21	5-1	1-5	+ -
Daccord has been moved to the injured reserve list due to a lower-body injury, and he is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
Anton Forsberg (G)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 18 / 03 / 21	5-1	1-5	+ -
Forsberg has wound up the COVID-19 Protocol list, and it is unclear how long he will be idle.
Matt Murray (G)	Out indefinitely	Upper Body - 15 / 03 / 21	7-1	2-6	+ -
Murray has been shuttled to the injured reserve list with an upper body injury, and he is without a definitive timetable for return.