Florida Panthers vs. Ottawa Senators Prediction, NHL Odds
The Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators are set to meet for the fourth and final time this season on Thursday night in Ottawa. Florida has been victorious in all three previous meetings, winning by scores of 6-2, 3-2 and 6-3.
These teams enter this matchup in very different positions of the Eastern Conference standings. Ottawa currently owns the second wild card spot with 92 points, while Florida has already been eliminated from postseason contention with 78 points on the season.
Panthers vs. Senators NHL Betting Odds
The Panthers own an overall record of 37-37-4, while the Senators are 41-27-10. Given their vastly different spots in the playoff picture, it’s not surprising to see Ottawa heavily favoured on the NHL odds in this matchup. The Senators enter with odds of -250 on the moneyline, while the Panthers are +205.
In terms of the puckline, neither team has been successful this season. Florida is 29-49-0 against the spread, while Ottawa is slightly under the .500-mark at 36-42-0. In this matchup, Ottawa -1.5 carries odds of +100, while Florida +1.5 is listed at -120. The total is set at 6.5, with the over at +110 and the under at -130. Both teams have made a habit of playing high-scoring games, as Florida is 44-32-2 to the over and Ottawa is 42-35-1.
Priced at +160, Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk has the shortest odds to score a goal in this matchup. Tkachuk has 22 goals in 58 games this season and recently scored a pair of goals on April 5 against the Hurricanes. On the other side, Sam Bennett has the shortest odds of any Panther to score a goal at +190. Bennett is third on the Panthers with 26 goals this season.
Florida Panthers
After winning back-to-back Stanley Cups, things have gone south for the Panthers this season. They’ve been without star centre Aleksander Barkov all season long, and were without Matthew Tkachuk for most of the season. The injuries continue to pile up for Florida, as Brad Marchand, Anton Lundell, Sam Reinhart, Aaron Ekblad and Evan Rodrigues are all out with injuries.
The Panthers enter this matchup riding a three-game losing streak, with all three losses coming on the road. That follows a common theme for Paul Maurice’s team, as they are just 16-22-1 away from Sunrise this season. They’ve been especially woeful lately, dropping each of their last six road games.
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are in the midst of a contentious playoff battle in the Eastern Conference. Ottawa holds the upper hand right now thanks to wins in three of its last four games. The Senators are currently two points up on the Blue Jackets and three points up on the Red Wings and Islanders.
If the Sens want to keep boosting their playoff chances even more, they will need to take advantage of taking on an injury-riddled Panthers team in this matchup. Along with fighting for their playoff lives, the Senators are looking to avoid a season sweep at the hands of the Panthers. Ottawa is 21-12-6 at home this season, and seems to be in a favourable spot.
NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Panthers vs. Senators?
The Senators seem to have the edge when it comes to urgency, health and home ice advantage. Ottawa has more to lose in this game than Florida, so I expect the Senators to be on their A game. Florida is simply too banged up for Ottawa not to take advantage and find the win column. I expect the Senators to win this game by a score of 5-2.
FLA
OTT