Ottawa Senators vs. Florida Panthers Prediction, NHL Odds
The Panthers are coming off a 4-3 loss to Edmonton, and now sit one point back of Tampa Bay in the divisional standings. The Senators opened their current five-game road trip with a 5-2 loss to the Lightning on Tuesday night, and have tallied just one win in five outings.
Florida is a heavy -401 favourite to win on the NHL odds, with a total of 6.5.
Senators vs. Panthers NHL Betting Odds
The Senators have seen their odds fluctuate since opening as a +315 bet, briefly improving to +310. But with the backing of just 23 per cent of sports bettors, Ottawa has dipped to a lengthy +327. Conversely, the Panthers have rocketed to heavy -401 favourites. The total has held steady since opening at 6.5, but the OVER sports -125 odds, with the support of 74 per cent of bets laid.
Thursday night’s matchup at FLA Live Arena marks the second of four regular season meetings between these divisional rivals. The Senators romped to an 8-2 victory on December 14, and have now earned the win in four of seven trips to Florida. However, Ottawa has failed to record consecutive wins over the Panthers since December 2013, and have posted wins in just two of seven head-to-head clashes. Seven or more total goals have been scored in five of six clashes between these teams. The Panthers averaged 5.67 goals per game while defeating Ottawa in their previous three contests, and have scored five or more goals in six of their past nine tilts. That has fuelled a 5-1-0 run for the OVER in puck totals betting.
The Panthers have struggled defensively during their current three-game slide, allowing 5.33 goals per game. That marks a dramatic about-face after allowing just six total goals during a preceding 3-0-0 run, and just 2.63 goals per game over their previous 16 outings. The Senators have potted just 1.90 goals per game while losing seven of 10, but have held opponents to a single goal in each of their wins during a 3-2-0 run on the road.
Ottawa Senators
The Senators’ offensive slump continued in Tuesday’s loss to the Lightning, but it was not due to lack of effort. The Sens struck quickly, seizing an early 2-0 lead, and outshot Tampa Bay by a 27-22 margin. However, a non-COVID illness circulating in the dressing room has taken its tool. The bug has reportedly impacted as many as eight Senators players, including defencemen Thomas Chabot and Nikita Zaitsev. Colin White has also been under the weather, but has still mustered a goal and an assist over his first two appearances of the season.
Florida Panthers
The Panthers will be expecting a better performance from Sergei Bobrovsky on Thursday night. Bobrovsky has allowed nine total goals on just 54 shots over his past two outings, including a dismal 18-save performance in Saturday’s loss to the Oilers. Florida shooters have also been somewhat snake bitten during the team’s current swoon. The club has averaged 45.7 shots on goal during their current 0-3-0 run, with Aleksander Barkov and Sam Bennett contributing a combined total of 38 shots, but scoring just four total goals.
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