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 23
+ / -	Adam Pelech 7
Shots	Oliver Wahlstrom 83
Penalty Mins	Zdeno Chara 64
Wins	Ilya Sorokin 10
GAA	Ilya Sorokin 2.37

OTT

Points	Drake Batherson 31
+ / -	Artem Zub 5
Shots	Brady Tkachuk 89
Penalty Mins	Brady Tkachuk 61
Wins	Anton Forsberg 6
GAA	Anton Forsberg 3.07

• Regular Season

Senators Team Leaders

NYI

Points	Mathew Barzal 23
+ / -	Adam Pelech 7
Shots	Oliver Wahlstrom 83
Penalty Mins	Zdeno Chara 64
Wins	Ilya Sorokin 10
GAA	Ilya Sorokin 2.37

OTT

Points	Drake Batherson 31
+ / -	Artem Zub 5
Shots	Brady Tkachuk 89
Penalty Mins	Brady Tkachuk 61
Wins	Anton Forsberg 6
GAA	Anton Forsberg 3.07

Injuries

NY Islanders

Ross Johnston (LW)

Elig Fri Suspension - 14 / 01 / 22

Jean-Gabriel Pageau (C)

Out indefinitely Personal - 13 / 01 / 22

Oliver Wahlstrom (RW)

Out indefinitely Illness - 01 / 01 / 22

Sebastian Aho (D)

Out indefinitely Personal - 30 / 12 / 21

Brock Nelson (C)

Out indefinitely Illness - 28 / 12 / 21

Anthony Beauvillier (LW)

Out indefinitely Illness - 26 / 12 / 21

Cal Clutterbuck (RW)

Out indefinitely Illness - 26 / 12 / 21

Oliver Wahlstrom (RW)

Out indefinitely Illness - 26 / 12 / 21

Zach Parise (LW)

Out indefinitely Illness - 26 / 12 / 21

Matt Martin (LW)

Prob Thurs Illness - 19 / 12 / 21

Ottawa

Matt Murray (G)

Ques Thurs Illness - 18 / 01 / 22

Connor Brown (RW)

Early Feb Jaw - 14 / 01 / 22

Scott Sabourin (RW)

Out indefinitely Finger - 14 / 01 / 22

Adam Gaudette (C)

Ques Sat Illness - 13 / 01 / 22

Tim Stutzle (LW)

Out indefinitely Illness - 11 / 01 / 22

Jacob Bernard-Docker (D)

Out indefinitely Illness - 05 / 01 / 22

Thomas Chabot (D)

Out indefinitely Illness - 03 / 01 / 22

Chris Tierney (C)

Out indefinitely Illness - 03 / 01 / 22

Zach Sanford (LW)

Out indefinitely Illness - 03 / 01 / 22

Josh Norris (C)

Out indefinitely Illness - 31 / 12 / 21

Injuries

NY Islanders

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Ross Johnston (LW)	Elig Fri	Suspension - 14 / 01 / 22	1-3	0-4	+ -
Johnston is serving a three-game suspension for an illegal check to the head, and he is not eligible to return until Friday versus the Coyotes.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau (C)	Out indefinitely	Personal - 13 / 01 / 22	1-3	0-4	+ -
Pageau is away from the team for the birth of his child, and it is unknown when he will return.
Oliver Wahlstrom (RW)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 01 / 01 / 22	2-3	0-5	+ -
Wahlstrom has wound up in the league's COVID-19 protocol, and there is no timetable for recovery.
Sebastian Aho (D)	Out indefinitely	Personal - 30 / 12 / 21	2-3	0-5	+ -
Aho will miss an extended period due to the birth of his child.
Brock Nelson (C)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 28 / 12 / 21	2-3	0-5	+ -
Nelson has been placed in the COVID-19 protocol, and a return date has yet to be confirmed.
Anthony Beauvillier (LW)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 26 / 12 / 21	3-3	1-5	+ -
Beauvillier has ended up in the COVID-19 protocol, and it is undetermined how long he will remain on the shelf.
Cal Clutterbuck (RW)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 26 / 12 / 21	3-3	1-5	+ -
Clutterbuck has been moved to the COVID-19 protocol, and it is uncertain how long he will be idle.
Oliver Wahlstrom (RW)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 26 / 12 / 21	3-3	1-5	+ -
Wahlstrom has been posted to the COVID-19 protocol, and he will be away from the team for an extended period.
Zach Parise (LW)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 26 / 12 / 21	3-3	1-5	+ -
Parise is going through the COVID-19 protocol, and a timetable for recovery has yet to be established.
Matt Martin (LW)	Prob Thurs	Illness - 19 / 12 / 21	4-3	1-6	+ -
Marti has been placed in the COVID-19 protocol, but he is expected to return against the Sabres on Thursday.

Ottawa

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Matt Murray (G)	Ques Thurs	Illness - 18 / 01 / 22	1-1	1-1	+ -
Murray was absent the previous game due to an illness, and it has yet to be established if he will be in the lineup on Thursday versus Penguins.
Connor Brown (RW)	Early Feb	Jaw - 14 / 01 / 22	2-1	1-2	+ -
Brown has been added to the injured reserve list with a broken jaw, and he is likely to miss at least three weeks.
Scott Sabourin (RW)	Out indefinitely	Finger - 14 / 01 / 22	2-1	1-2	+ -
Sabourin is out of commission with a dislocated right ring finger, and a timetable for recovery has yet to be established.
Adam Gaudette (C)	Ques Sat	Illness - 13 / 01 / 22	2-1	1-2	+ -
Gaudette sat out the last game with an illness, and it is unknown if he will lace up against the Oilers on Saturday.
Tim Stutzle (LW)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 11 / 01 / 22	2-1	1-2	+ -
Stutzle will be out of the lineup for an extended period as he is enlisted in the league's COVID-19 protocol.
Jacob Bernard-Docker (D)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 05 / 01 / 22	2-2	1-3	+ -
Bernard-Docker has been added to the COVID-19 protocol list, and it is unknown when he will return to the lineup.
Thomas Chabot (D)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 03 / 01 / 22	2-2	1-3	+ -
Chabot has been ticketed for the COVID-19 protocol, and he will be away from the team for an extended period.
Chris Tierney (C)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 03 / 01 / 22	2-2	1-3	+ -
Tierney has hit the COVID-19 protocol list, and it is unclear how long he will be debilitated.
Zach Sanford (LW)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 03 / 01 / 22	2-2	1-3	+ -
Sanford has been placed in the COVID-19 protocol, and a return date has yet to be confirmed.
Josh Norris (C)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 31 / 12 / 21	2-2	1-3	+ -
Norris has wound up in the league's COVID-19 protocol, and there is no timetable for recovery.