An 8-1-1 run has moved the Ottawa Senators into fifth place in the North Division and past the sixth-placed Calgary Flames. With two points separating these teams in the standings, they’re set to have a head-to-head meeting on Sunday evening in Calgary. Ottawa’s most recent dub came in Winnipeg last night, when they handed the Jets a 4-2 loss.

Sunday is Ottawa’s second-last game of the season, while Calgary has five more to go. The Flames still have the longest of shots at the playoffs — they’d need to go 5-0 and Montreal would need to lose their final two games. The Sens meanwhile are already eliminated.

Puck drop Sunday at the Scotiabank Saddledome is 8 p.m. EST.

Senators vs. Flames Betting Analysis

The Senators are looking to win their fourth straight game on Sunday when they face a Flames team that has lost two in a row. Ottawa’s been the much better team head-to-head too, defeating Calgary in six of their eight matchups in 2021.

But Calgary hasn’t been a kind place to the Sens, as it’s the Flames who are winners of 11 of the last 16 times hosting Ottawa. At 9-17-1, the road in general hasn’t been kind to Ottawa in 2021.

Calgary’s a -200 moneyline favourite to win on the NHL odds. The over-under is set at six, and the under has hit eight times in Calgary’s last 11 games.

Ottawa Senators

Rookie Tim Stützle notched his first career hat trick Saturday night in Winnipeg to reach 12 goals on the year. Connor Brown had a three-point night in the win, and Shane Pinto recorded a pair of assists as the Sens’ emerging forwards came to play.

With a goal Saturday, Brown reached 20 goals for the second time in his six-year career and also tied his career high, set back in 2016–17. Brown currently leads the Sens in goals, while Brady Tkachuk has a team-high 35 points.

Filip Gustavsson made 27 saves in Winnipeg for his fourth career win. It’ll likely be Anton Forsberg making his eighth start of the season to end the back-to-back in Calgary.

Calgary Flames

At 22-26-3 the Flames have underachieved in 2021. It’s almost all but certain that Calgary will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2018 and they will likely finish with their first sub .500 record since the 2015–16 season.

Scoring has been extremely hard to come by for the Flames this season, as they rank 27th with 2.57 goals per game. Elias Lindholm continues to lead the team with 43 points in 51 games, but Calgary is without a 20-goal scorer on the year and they have just three players over 30 points.

As mentioned, Calgary must win Sunday to stay alive. After Sunday they play Vancouver four straight times to close out the year.

NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Senators vs. Flames?

• Regular Season

Senators Team Leaders

OTT

Points	Brady Tkachuk 36
+ / -	Alex Formenton 6
Shots	Brady Tkachuk 220
Penalty Mins	Brady Tkachuk 69
Wins	Matt Murray 10
GAA	Filip Gustavsson 2.16

CAL

Points	Johnny Gaudreau 49
+ / -	Christopher Tanev 15
Shots	Matthew Tkachuk 151
Penalty Mins	Matthew Tkachuk 55
Wins	Jacob Markstrom 22
GAA	Jacob Markstrom 2.66

• Regular Season

Flames Team Leaders

OTT

Points	Brady Tkachuk 36
+ / -	Alex Formenton 6
Shots	Brady Tkachuk 220
Penalty Mins	Brady Tkachuk 69
Wins	Matt Murray 10
GAA	Filip Gustavsson 2.16

CAL

Points	Johnny Gaudreau 49
+ / -	Christopher Tanev 15
Shots	Matthew Tkachuk 151
Penalty Mins	Matthew Tkachuk 55
Wins	Jacob Markstrom 22
GAA	Jacob Markstrom 2.66

Injuries

Ottawa

Colin White (C)

out for season Undisclosed - 11 / 05 / 21

Evgenii Dadonov (RW)

Prob Sat Upper Body - 05 / 05 / 21

Thomas Chabot (D)

out for season Upper Body - 04 / 05 / 21

Alex Formenton (LW)

Ques Mon Illness - 30 / 04 / 21

Anton Forsberg (G)

Ques Wed Lower Body - 26 / 04 / 21

Matt Murray (G)

Out indefinitely Lower Body - 25 / 04 / 21

Nick Paul (LW)

Ques Sat Undisclosed - 23 / 04 / 21

Nikita Zaitsev (D)

Ques Sat Undisclosed - 14 / 04 / 21

Erik Gudbranson (D)

Ques Thurs Personal - 04 / 04 / 21

Micheal Haley (LW)

Out indefinitely Groin - 03 / 04 / 21

Calgary

Sean Monahan (C)

out for season Hip - 12 / 05 / 21

Noah Hanifin (D)

out for season Shoulder - 24 / 04 / 21

Josh Leivo (LW)

Out indefinitely Illness - 23 / 04 / 21

Mikael Backlund (C)

Prob Sun Undisclosed - 02 / 04 / 21

Christopher Tanev (D)

Prob Fri Undisclosed - 31 / 03 / 21

Brett Ritchie (RW)

Ques Sat Lower Body - 22 / 03 / 21

Joakim Nordstrom (C)

Prob Fri Lower Body - 10 / 03 / 21

Sam Bennett (C)

Ques Thurs Undisclosed - 09 / 03 / 21

Jacob Markstrom (G)

Mid March Upper Body - 22 / 02 / 21

Sean Monahan (C)

Ques Mon Lower Body - 21 / 02 / 21

Injuries

Ottawa

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Colin White (C)	out for season	Undisclosed - 11 / 05 / 21	0-1	1-0	+ -
White is bothered by an undisclosed injury, and he will not be available for the remainder of the season.
Evgenii Dadonov (RW)	Prob Sat	Upper Body - 05 / 05 / 21	3-1	3-1	+ -
Dadonov sat out the last game with an upper-body injury, but he is projected to dress for Saturday's tilt with the Jets.
Thomas Chabot (D)	out for season	Upper Body - 04 / 05 / 21	3-1	3-1	+ -
Chabot will miss the remainder of the 2020-21 season with an upper-body injury.
Alex Formenton (LW)	Ques Mon	Illness - 30 / 04 / 21	5-1	4-2	+ -
Formenton missed the last game due to an illness, and it is unclear if he will be available to face the Jets on Monday.
Anton Forsberg (G)	Ques Wed	Lower Body - 26 / 04 / 21	6-2	4-3-1	+ -
Forsberg has missed the last four games due to a lower-body injury, and it is unknown if he will suit up for Wednesday's matchup with the Canadiens.
Matt Murray (G)	Out indefinitely	Lower Body - 25 / 04 / 21	7-2	4-4-1	+ -
Murray is sidelined with a lower-body injury, and he will miss an undetermined length of time.
Nick Paul (LW)	Ques Sat	Undisclosed - 23 / 04 / 21	8-2	4-4-2	+ -
Paul exited the previous game early with an undisclosed injury, and it has yet to be established if he will take the ice Saturday to face the Canucks.
Nikita Zaitsev (D)	Ques Sat	Undisclosed - 14 / 04 / 21	11-2	4-6-3	+ -
Zaitsev missed the last game with an undisclosed injury, and it is unclear if he will be active versus the Canadiens on Saturday.
Erik Gudbranson (D)	Ques Thurs	Personal - 04 / 04 / 21	14-4	7-8-3	+ -
Gudbranson has missed the last two games for the birth of his child, and it is unknown if he will be available for Thursday's game versus the Oilers.
Micheal Haley (LW)	Out indefinitely	Groin - 03 / 04 / 21	14-5	7-9-3	+ -
Haley has wound up on the injured reserve list with a groin injury, and he will miss an extended period.

Calgary

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Sean Monahan (C)	out for season	Hip - 12 / 05 / 21	2-2	2-1-1	+ -
Monahan will be sidelined for the remainder of the season after undergoing hip surgery.
Noah Hanifin (D)	out for season	Shoulder - 24 / 04 / 21	5-6	4-5-2	+ -
Hanifin will miss the remainder of the 2020-21 season after undergoing shoulder surgery.
Josh Leivo (LW)	Out indefinitely	Illness - 23 / 04 / 21	5-6	4-5-2	+ -
Leivo has been designated for the COVID-19 protocol list, and there is no timetable for recovery.
Mikael Backlund (C)	Prob Sun	Undisclosed - 02 / 04 / 21	10-8	5-10-3	+ -
Backlund missed the last game due to an undetermined ailment, but it is likely that he will be a participant in Sunday's battle with the Maple Leafs.
Christopher Tanev (D)	Prob Fri	Undisclosed - 31 / 03 / 21	10-9	6-10-3	+ -
Tanev is dealing with an undisclosed injury, but it is anticipated that he will be active versus the Oilers on Friday.
Brett Ritchie (RW)	Ques Sat	Lower Body - 22 / 03 / 21	11-13	6-14-4	+ -
Ritchie has sat out the last three games due to a lower-body injury, and it is uncertain if he will play Saturday against the Jets.
Joakim Nordstrom (C)	Prob Fri	Lower Body - 10 / 03 / 21	14-16	10-16-4	+ -
Nordstrom has been out of commission with a lower-body injury, but it is likely that he will return against the Jets on Friday.
Sam Bennett (C)	Ques Thurs	Undisclosed - 09 / 03 / 21	14-16	10-16-4	+ -
Bennett is nursing an unknown injury, and it has yet to be established if he will suit up against the Canadiens on Thursday.
Jacob Markstrom (G)	Mid March	Upper Body - 22 / 02 / 21	19-19	14-19-5	+ -
Markstrom has been designated for the injured reserve list due to an upper-body injury, and he is not expected to return until the middle of March.
Sean Monahan (C)	Ques Mon	Lower Body - 21 / 02 / 21	19-20	14-20-5	+ -
Monahan has missed the previous two contests due to a lower-body injury, and it is unclear if he will face the Maple Leafs on Monday.