Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Ottawa Senators Prediction, NHL Odds
Back-to-back Stanley Cup champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning, are in town Saturday afternoon as they travel to Ottawa to face the Senators. The Bolts are a perfect 3-0 on their four-game road trip following a 5-3 win in Toronto on Thursday. Ottawa, meanwhile, has been off since a 5-3 home loss to the Islanders on Tuesday.
Tampa Bay is a -210 favourite to win on the NHL odds, with a total of 6.0.
Lightning vs. Senators NHL Betting Odds
The Lighting have come out on top in the last three meetings between these teams, including a 5-3 win in Ottawa on November 6. All three of those games went above the total. A large 95 per cent majority of early Sports Interaction bettors are siding the Tampa Bay in this game, while about 83 per cent of action is taking the Over.
Tampa has been solid on the road this year, going 9-2-2 outside of Florida and winning four of their last five games on the road. They’re an even 13-13 against the spread overall, including 7-6 ATS on the road. The total has gone Over in five of the Lightning’s last seven games.
It’s been a struggle for the Sens this year as they’ve dropped 13 of their last 17 games. They’re 10-14 ATS and have covered in just five of 13 home games. The total has gone Over in six of the Senators’ last nine games.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Steven Stamkos was the hero for Tampa on Thursday as the longtime captain notched one goal and three assists to help earn the Bolts their fifth straight win. Stamkos, who extended his point streak to five games, has reestablished himself as an NHL star this season and sits fifth in league scoring with 32 points (13G, 19A). Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 35 of 38 shots faced and is expected to get the star against Ottawa. The reigning Conn Smythe winner is 14-4-3 this year with a 2.17 goals-against average and .927 save percentage.
A major concern for the Lighting at this point is the health of several key players. Nikita Kucherov (lower-body), Brayden Point (upper-body), Anthony Cirelli (upper-body) and Erik Cernak (foot) all missed Thursday’s win. Cirelli and Cernak’s injuries aren’t believed to be long-term and both could play Saturday, while Kucherov and Point are both expected to be out of the lineup for multiple games.
Ottawa Senators
It was a tough night for Ottawa on Tuesday as they saw their three-game win streak snapped by the Islanders. Alex Formenton, Nick Holden and Josh Norris had the goals for the Sens, while Filip Gustavsson stopped 22 of 27 shots. Norris leads the team with 11 goals (18 points), while Drake Batherson leads the team with 21 points (8G, 13A). Goaltending has been a major concern for Ottawa this year as Matt Murray has been demoted to the AHL and Gustavsson has lost his last four starts. It will likely be Anton Forsberg in net against the Lightning. Forsberg has struggled this year, compiling a 4-4-0 record with a 3.79 GAA and .895 SV.
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