Ottawa Senators vs. Columbus Blue Jackets: NHL Odds, Prediction
The Ottawa Senators conclude a three-game road trip Friday night at Columbus looking to end a four-game losing streak and snap out of an offensive funk.
Betting Analysis
It’s the first of three meetings this season between the teams, with Ottawa hosting the Blue Jackets on Dec. 29 and returning to Columbus on March 17.
Last year, the Senators won two of three over the Blue Jackets – although the loss in Ottawa was the most memorable of the three as it was 7-6 in overtime. There were exactly four goals scored in each period, with Columbus entering the third down 5-3. Cam Atkinson’s second goal of the game at 1:09 of overtime won it. The two Ottawa wins were by scores of 2-0 and 3-2.
Zach Smith led the Senators with four points (3G, 1A) vs. Columbus in the season series. Erik Karlsson had a goal and two assists. Mike Condon was 1-0-1 with a 3.47 goals-against average and .901 save percentage. Craig Anderson won his lone start, allowing two goals. The Sens faced Columbus No. 1 goalie Sergei Bobrovsky once and beat him.
Ottawa has won seven of the past 10 in this series overall.
Ottawa Senators
The Senators (8-6-6) have lost each game of this trip by three goals – 3-0 at the Rangers on Sunday and 5-2 at Washington on Wednesday, and the four-game overall slide is the team’s longest of the season. The Capitals scored two first-period goals and that was basically that. They were up 4-0 before Ryan Dzingel got Ottawa on the board at 16:37 of the second with his sixth goal of the season. Mike Hoffman closed out the scoring for the Sens in the third with his seventh goal. Mark Stone had an assist and leads the team in points with 21 (13G, 8A).
The Sens played without defenceman Mark Borowiecki, who was placed on injured reserve Wednesday with a concussion. Meanwhile, Matt Duchene continues to look for his first point in six games since coming over from Colorado in that big three-team trade.
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Blue Jackets (14-7-1) are trending in the other direction on a season-high five-game winning following a 1-0 overtime win over Calgary on Wednesday. Josh Anderson scored two minutes into overtime, and Bobrovsky had 22 saves in his third shutout of the season. The Russian leads the NHL with a 1.91 GAA and is second with a .936 save percentage.
The Jackets are now an outstanding 7-1 in overtime games this season. They are not a very good offensive team in averaging just 2.8 goals per game and ranking last on the power play, but they are a tremendous defensive club. During the winning streak, Columbus has scored only 10 goals while allowing just four.
