The Sens have come out on the right side of close decisions lately, winning their last three games by a single goal, including a 3-2 shootout win in New Jersey on Monday.  It’s been a tire fire of a season for the Islanders, who lost their 11th straight game on Sunday, falling 3-2 in overtime to Chicago.

The Islanders are -152 favourites to win on the NHL odds, with a total of 5.5.

Islanders vs. Senators NHL Betting Odds

New York has generally done fairly well against Ottawa, winning six of the last seven head-to-heads.  The last time these teams met, however, the Senators came out on top with a 4-3 home win in March 2020.  Seven of the last eight meetings between these teams have hit the Over.  About 65 per cent of Sports Interaction bettors are rolling with Ottawa in this one, while around 57 per cent of action is taking the Over.

It’s been an absolutely disastrous start to the season for this Islanders team that has lost 11 consecutive games overall, including their last five on the road.  They’re 7-13 against the spread overall this year and 6-8 ATS on the road.  The total has gone Under in five of New York’s last six games.

Ottawa hasn’t been great at home this year as they’ve lost eight of their last 10 games at Canadian Tire Centre.  They’re 10-13 ATS overall and have failed to cover in seven of 12 total home games.  The total has gone Under in six of the Senators’ last nine games against Eastern Conference teams.

New York Islanders

The Islanders just can’t seem to catch a break.  Over their last three games they’ve had great chances to snap their long losing streak, but they fell in overtime to San Jose and Detroit then lost 3-2 in a shootout against Chicago.  Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Noah Dobson had the goals for New York on Sunday.  Semyon Varlamov stopped 24 of 26 shots in regulation/overtime and one of two shots in the shootout.  Ilya Sorokin is expected to get the start in net against Ottawa.  Sorokin is 5-6-4 this season, posting a 2.49 goals-against average and .925 save percentage.

One of the biggest issues facing the Isles is a serious lack of offence.  They rank 31st in the NHL in goals per game (1.90), 29th in shots per game (26.4) and 26th in power-play percentage (14.3).  Only two players have recorded double-digit points on the year.  Mathew Barzal has a team-high 13 points (5G, 8A) in 20 games, while Brock Nelson has 11 points, including a team-high nine goals, in 15 games.  No other player on the roster has managed more than seven points.

Ottawa Senators

It’s been another tough year overall in Ottawa, but Sens fans are hoping their current three-game win streak is a sign of things to come.  Drake Batherson and Brady Tkachuk had the regulation goals for the Senators on Monday, while Tim Stutzle and Josh Norris scored in the shootout.  The trio of Batherson, Tkachuk and Norris has produced the majority of the offence for Ottawa this year.  Batherson leads the team with 20 points (8G, 12A), while Tkachuk is second with 18 (8G, 10A).  Norris has 17 points, including a team-high 10 goals.

Anton Forsberg made 22 saves in regulation/overtime and stopped two of three attempts in the shootout on Monday.  With Matt Murray banished to the AHL for the time being, Filip Gustavsson is expected to get the start in net against the Islanders.  Gustavsson is 3-6-1 this year, with 3.64 GAA and .899 SV.

NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Islanders vs. Senators?

• Regular Season

Islanders Team Leaders

NYI

Points	Mathew Barzal 59
+ / -	Adam Pelech 20
Shots	Noah Dobson 190
Penalty Mins	Zdeno Chara 85
Wins	Ilya Sorokin 26
GAA	Ilya Sorokin 2.4

OTT

Points	Brady Tkachuk 67
+ / -	Mathieu Joseph 8
Shots	Brady Tkachuk 288
Penalty Mins	Brady Tkachuk 117
Wins	Anton Forsberg 22
GAA	Anton Forsberg 2.82

• Regular Season

Senators Team Leaders

NYI

Points	Mathew Barzal 59
+ / -	Adam Pelech 20
Shots	Noah Dobson 190
Penalty Mins	Zdeno Chara 85
Wins	Ilya Sorokin 26
GAA	Ilya Sorokin 2.4

OTT

Points	Brady Tkachuk 67
+ / -	Mathieu Joseph 8
Shots	Brady Tkachuk 288
Penalty Mins	Brady Tkachuk 117
Wins	Anton Forsberg 22
GAA	Anton Forsberg 2.82

Injuries

NY Islanders

Sebastian Aho (D)

Out Fri Upper Body - 29 / 04 / 22

Ross Johnston (LW)

Out Fri Illness - 29 / 04 / 22

Ryan Pulock (D)

Prob Fri Illness - 28 / 04 / 22

Brock Nelson (C)

Prob Thurs Illness - 26 / 04 / 22

Zdeno Chara (D)

Prob Thurs Illness - 26 / 04 / 22

Anthony Beauvillier (LW)

Ques Thurs Upper Body - 21 / 04 / 22

Jean-Gabriel Pageau (C)

Out indefinitely Illness - 21 / 04 / 22

Grant Hutton (D)

Ques Sat Illness - 18 / 04 / 22

Semyon Varlamov (G)

Ques Tues Illness - 15 / 04 / 22

Kieffer Bellows (LW)

Ques Thurs Illness - 12 / 04 / 22

Ottawa

Connor Brown (RW)

out for season Undisclosed - 23 / 04 / 22

Nikita Zaitsev (D)

Prob Tues Illness - 23 / 04 / 22

Tim Stutzle (LW)

Ques Fri Undisclosed - 22 / 04 / 22

Colin White (C)

out for season Illness - 16 / 04 / 22

Mathieu Joseph (RW)

out for season Undisclosed - 14 / 04 / 22

Artem Zub (D)

Ques Thurs Illness - 12 / 04 / 22

Tim Stutzle (LW)

Prob Sun Knee - 07 / 04 / 22

Dylan Gambrell (C)

Prob Sat Illness - 07 / 04 / 22

Tyler Ennis (RW)

out for season Upper Body - 03 / 04 / 22

Nikita Zaitsev (D)

Ques Sat Face - 25 / 03 / 22

Injuries

NY Islanders

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Sebastian Aho (D)	Out Fri	Upper Body - 29 / 04 / 22	1-0	1-0	+ -
Aho is bothered by an upper-body injury, and he will not be active versus the Lightning on Friday.
Ross Johnston (LW)	Out Fri	Illness - 29 / 04 / 22	1-0	1-0	+ -
Johnston is ailing from an illness, and he will not suit up for Friday's game versus the Lightning.
Ryan Pulock (D)	Prob Fri	Illness - 28 / 04 / 22	2-0	1-1	+ -
Pulock was absent from the previous game due to a non-COVID illness, but it is projected that he will be active against the Lightning on Friday.
Brock Nelson (C)	Prob Thurs	Illness - 26 / 04 / 22	2-1	2-1	+ -
Nelson was held out of the last contest due to an illness, but it is expected that he will play against the Capitals on Thursday.
Zdeno Chara (D)	Prob Thurs	Illness - 26 / 04 / 22	2-1	2-1	+ -
Chara sat out the previous game with a non-COVID illness, but it is likely that he will dress for Thursday's clash with the Capitals.
Anthony Beauvillier (LW)	Ques Thurs	Upper Body - 21 / 04 / 22	3-3	4-2	+ -
Beauvillier has been absent from the last four contests with an upper-body injury, and it is unknown if he will face the Capitals on Thursday.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau (C)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 21 / 04 / 22	3-3	4-2	+ -
Pageau has been added to the COVID-19 list, and it has yet to be established when he will return.
Grant Hutton (D)	Ques Sat	Illness - 18 / 04 / 22	3-4	4-2-1	+ -
Hutton has sat out the previous three games with an illness, and it is unclear if he will lace up for Saturday's clash versus the Sabres.
Semyon Varlamov (G)	Ques Tues	Illness - 15 / 04 / 22	4-5	5-3-1	+ -
Varlamov has missed the last two contests due to a non-COVID-19 illness, and it remains to be determined if he will face the Panthers on Tuesday.
Kieffer Bellows (LW)	Ques Thurs	Illness - 12 / 04 / 22	5-6	7-3-1	+ -
Bellows sat out the last contest with an illness, and it is up in the air if he will take on the Penguins on Thursday.

Ottawa

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Connor Brown (RW)	out for season	Undisclosed - 23 / 04 / 22	2-2	2-2	+ -
Brown is expected miss the rest of the season due to an undisclosed injury.
Nikita Zaitsev (D)	Prob Tues	Illness - 23 / 04 / 22	2-2	2-2	+ -
Zaitsev missed the last game due to a non-COVID-19 illness, but it is likely that he will suit up against the Devils on Tuesday.
Tim Stutzle (LW)	Ques Fri	Undisclosed - 22 / 04 / 22	3-2	3-2	+ -
Stutzle is tending to an undisclosed injury, and it is unknown if he will battle the Blue Jackets on Friday.
Colin White (C)	out for season	Illness - 16 / 04 / 22	5-3	4-3-1	+ -
White has been shuttled to the COVID-19 protocol, and it is likely that he will sit out the remainder of the 2021-22 season.
Mathieu Joseph (RW)	out for season	Undisclosed - 14 / 04 / 22	6-3	4-4-1	+ -
Joseph is idle due to an unknown injury, and he will sit out the remainder of the season.
Artem Zub (D)	Ques Thurs	Illness - 12 / 04 / 22	7-3	5-4-1	+ -
Zub sat out the previous game with an illness, and it is uncertain if he will partake in Thursday's clash with the Bruins.
Tim Stutzle (LW)	Prob Sun	Knee - 07 / 04 / 22	9-4	6-5-2	+ -
Stutzle has sat out the last two contests with knee soreness, but it is likely that he will be available for Sunday's clash with the Jets.
Dylan Gambrell (C)	Prob Sat	Illness - 07 / 04 / 22	9-4	6-5-2	+ -
Gambrell sat out the previous matchup due to an illness, but it is projected that he will play against the Rangers on Saturday.
Tyler Ennis (RW)	out for season	Upper Body - 03 / 04 / 22	11-4	8-5-2	+ -
Ennis has been placed on the injured reserve list with an upper-body issue, and he is expected to miss the rest of the 2021-22 season.
Nikita Zaitsev (D)	Ques Sat	Face - 25 / 03 / 22	13-5	10-6-2	+ -
Zaitsev exited the last game with a facial laceration, and it is unclear if he will be available for Saturday's matchup with the Panthers.