Florida Panthers vs. Ottawa Senators Prediction, NHL Odds
The Senators start the campaign amid high expectations after closing out last season with wins in nine of their final 14 contests. The Panthers travel north of the border after opening their schedule on Tuesday night with a 6-4 victory over the Boston Bruins, and have now topped Atlantic Division rivals in five of their past six regular season meetings.
The Panthers arrive in the nation’s capital pegged as slim -120 favourites on the Thursday NHL odds. The Senators trail as +110 home underdogs and the total is listed at 6.5.
Panthers vs. Senators NHL Betting Odds
The Senators will be looking to flip the script on years of futility against Florida when they face against the Panthers on Thursday in the first of three regular season meetings between these Atlantic Division rivals. The Panthers swept their season series with Ottawa in 2023/24, outscoring the Sens by a combined 16-2 margin in four wins including, three shutouts, extending their head-to-head win streak to five games. The Panthers have also claimed victory in seven of their past eight visits to Ottawa and have topped the Senators in 14 of 17 overall dates since the start of the 2018/2019 campaign. With the Sens scoring just four total goals during their current 0-5 run versus Florida, the UNDER has regularly paid out when these teams meet, going 5-2-1 in their past eight clashes.
Florida Panthers
It didn’t take long for the Panthers to pick up where they left off last season on Tuesday night, jumping out to a 4-1 first-period lead on their way to a decisive 6-4 victory over the Bruins. Sam Bennett provided an early spark with a pair of first-period markers while Sam Reinhart each contributed a goal and an assist to seal the win. The Panthers’ scoring barrage follows a very productive preseason, during which the team potted 30 total goals while compiling a 5-3-0 record. Florida now rides a five-game win streak in regular season action in which they have outscored opponents by a 20-8 margin, but have fallen to defeat in five of their past seven regular season road contests.
Ottawa Senators
The Senators look to maintain the momentum they gained while compiling a 5-1-1 preseason record, best in the Atlantic Division. However, the club saw their success come by the narrowest of margins, with four of their victories coming by just a single goal and three of their preseason matchups getting settled in overtime or by shootout. Walking the razor’s edge should be commonplace for the Senators during the new campaign considering their recent history. The club compiled a middling 37-41-4 record last season while missing the NHL playoffs for a seventh straight year and remain a +115 longshot on the NHL futures to make the playoffs this time around. However, the offseason addition of goaltender Linus Ullmark represents a big upgrade between the pipes, while the healthy return of rearguard Thomas Chabot and centre Josh Norris following injury-plagued season should help this team take the next step.
FLA
OTT