Edmonton Oilers vs. Ottawa Senators Prediction, NHL Odds
The Oilers and the Senators open a back-to-back two game set in Ottawa on Monday, as both teams are looking to get back into the win column.
Edmonton is a -230 favourite to win on the NHL odds with a total of 6.5.
Oilers vs. Senators Betting Analysis
Sports Interaction bettors have little faith in Ottawa, as 86 per cent are backing the Oilers in this game. Edmonton has already taken the Sens down twice this season, by a combined score of 12-7.
If there is one thing the Oilers can do, it’s score goals. Edmonton has hit the Over in six of their last seven games overall and four of their last five games in Ottawa. The Oilers have struggled to cover on the road this year, going 1-4 against the spread outside of Edmonton and 6-7 ATS overall.
Ottawa hasn’t received the goaltending they need or the scoring they want this season, and as a result have been an Under team in five of their last six games. The Sens have only hit the Over in two of five home games, this season. Ottawa is 4-8ATS overall, covering three times at home.
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers have two world class talents who look like NHL players competing in the minors. The problem is the rest of the Oilers team look like minor league players competing in the NHL. It’s not a formula for winning and as a result, Edmonton finds itself a game away from .500 at 6-7 on the season. Edmonton’s three game win streak was snapped in a 6-4 loss to cross-province rival Calgary on Saturday. Connor McDavid netted a goal and an assist to extend his point streak to nine games. McDavid (9G, 17A) and Draisaitl (7G, 16A) are No. 1 and No. 2 in league scoring with 26 and 23 points respectively. Even for a 56-game season, McDavid is on pace for 112 points and Draisaitl is on pace for 100 points.
The Oilers biggest problem this season, other than depth scoring, is goaltending. Mikko Koskinen has had an unsustainable work load, starting 12 of Edmonton’s 13 games. His numbers have suffered as a result of the heavy schedule. Koskinen is 5-7-0 with a 3.55 goals against average and .889 save percentage. At five-on-five Koskinen sees a little bump to an .898 SV, but he still lags behind other starting goalies in the North Division. Calgary’s Jacob Markstrom (.924), Toronto’s Frederick Andersen (.923), Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck (.912) and Montreal’s Carey Price (.899) all have better numbers at five-on-five. On the positive side, it looks like Mike Smith could be back for Edmonton. Smith hasn’t started a game all season after being placed on LTIR, but has been recalled to the team and is expected to get a start sometime this week.
Ottawa Senators
After struggling to begin the season, the Senators received a second strong start in a row from goaltender Matt Murray on Saturday. Murray made 36 saves in a 3-2 win over the Canadiens on Thursday and stopped 30 shots in a 2-1 loss to Montreal on Saturday. The former Pittsburgh goalie Murray, gave Ottawa a chance to win. After getting outshot 19-8 by Montreal in the first period on Saturday, the Sens came back to actually outshoot the Habs 35-32 in the game. Colin White scored his second goal of the season in the loss. Ottawa has struggled to find the back of the night all season. Brady Tkachuk leads the team with seven points (3G, 4A) in 12 games. Rookie Tim Stutzle’s four goals are a team-best.
No one expected this to be a smooth season for the Sens, but few people predicted it would be this bad. They only have two wins on the year and things will only get tougher down the stretch with the rest of the North Division fighting for playoff spots. If Ottawa wants to turn things around and end the embarrassing losing streaks, Murray will need to steal some games. His numbers for the season haven’t been good enough. Murray is 2-5-1 with a 4.10 GAA and .875 SV. Things are starting to look better, however, for the first-year Senator. Over the two-game Montreal series, Murray had a 1.01 GAA and .943 SV. Ottawa fans are hoping Murray has turned a corner and is becoming the franchise goalie they desperately need.
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