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Edgar Chaput
New York Islanders vs. Ottawa Senators Prediction, NHL Odds
The Islanders will want to continue the success they had the previous week. The Senators on the other hand had a rough go but found something to build off of on Saturday in Philadelphia.
The oddsmakers see New York as a fitting 1.5-point favourite to win on the NHL odds (+221 on the puckline). The over-under is 6.0 goals.
Islanders vs. Senators NHL Betting Odds
Going by the last 10 meetings between the two squads, the Isles adore playing Ottawa. They’ve claimed victory in nine of those games. More incredibly, except for a 3-0 victory last year, they’ve scored at least four goals in each of the other eight victories. That’s outrageous.
Against the spread, the Isles are a model of consistency, for better or worse. They have a 10-6 win-loss record, and that’s exactly how they’ve fared ATS. Despite the commendable performance overall, the team has only mustered a 4-4 record in games when favoured.
On the other hand, the Sens look like a team that may not be great to bet on the moneyline given their 5-8-1 win-loss tally. That said, against the spread they’re a pretty good 9-5. Furthermore, 4-2 when underdogs is an interesting stat.
New York Islanders
This author has written so often about the Canucks this season, watching some of New York’s games has been a revelation. They’re the anti-Canucks. They won after trailing Calgary. Did the same against the Rangers. Against Columbus, three one-goal deficits were erased in a 4-3 OT win. There’s no quit in Lane Lambert’s unit. First periods have been an issue, however. Only eight goals have been scored in the sixteen they’ve played.
Saturday’s contest at home to the Blue Jackets was another display of moxie. Columbus isn’t very strong this season, but on three occasions they knew to pounce on opportunities presented to them. In response, Brock Nelson increased his goal tally on the year from six to eight (he’s also the club points leader) and the goal in OT was a terrific example of what this team is about. A swift counter-attack saw Jean-Gabriel Pageau carry the puck on the right side with Zach Parise joining him through centre. Despite being completely hobbled by a Columbus defender (the ref called a penalty) he pushed himself free, received the pass and slotted a beautiful wrist shot for the winner.
Ottawa Senators
D.J. Smith’s squad did not nearly have the success last week as the Islanders. In fact, the past couple of weeks had been dreadful heading into Saturday’s tilt with the Flyers. Losers of seven straight, they fell behind 1-0 early and one could almost hear Sens fans depressingly crying “Oh no, not again!” But then the unexpected happened. Goalie Cam Talbot played out of his mind the rest of the way, stopping 37 of the 38 shots he faced overall, frequently flustering Philadelphia’s forwards.
More critically, Ottawa took advantage of the chances presented to them. They cashed in on two out of three power plays, both scored by Alex DeBrincat. He’s quietly building himself a decent stat sheet with four goals and nine assists in 14 games so far. Overall, it was a strong, confident performance that hinted at what things could be like if they play to their potential. One big issue: fifth worst in penalties minutes taken, yet a middle-of-the-pack penalty-killing team.
NYI
OTT