Ottawa Senators vs. Florida Panthers Prediction, NHL Odds
The Ottawa Senators are in Sunrise on Tuesday to take on the Florida Panthers. These teams have very different outlooks for the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. On one hand, the Senators are in the thick of the wild-card hunt with 86 points on the season, putting them two points outside a playoff spot at this time. On the other side, Florida’s 73 points are the fewest in the Atlantic division and the second-fewest in the Eastern Conference. Thus, Florida is well outside of a playoff spot.
This will be the third matchup of the season between these Atlantic Division rivals. Florida has taken the first two meetings, 6-2 and 3-2, which has Ottawa looking for revenge on the road. Following Tuesday’s meeting in Florida, the Senators and Panthers will meet for a fourth and final time this season on April 9 in Ottawa.
Senators vs. Panthers NHL Betting Odds
The visiting Senators own an overall record of 38-25-10 on the season, and they are 20-14-4 on the road. The Panthers are 35-35-3 overall, and 19-15-3 on home ice. It’s not surprising to see Ottawa favoured in this matchup, as they carry -170 odds on the moneyline, while the Panthers are at +142.
Both of these teams are under the .500 mark when it comes to the puckline. On the season, Ottawa is 33-40-0 while Florida is 24-49-0. Ottawa -1.5 is valued at +142, while Florida +1.5 has odds of -170. The game total is 5.5, with juiced odds of -135 to the Over and plus-money odds of +114 on the Under. Both teams have seen plenty of high-scoring games, as Ottawa is 39-33-1 to the over and Florida is 41-32-0.
With odds of +150, Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk has the shortest odds to score a goal in this contest. Tkachuk has 12 goals in 26 games this season and has potted three goals over his last three games. Drake Batherson has the shortest odds of any Senator to score a goal at +160. Batherson is second on the team with 29 goals this season, and his shooting percentage of 18.6 per cent leads the Senators.
Ottawa Senators
The Senators are coming off back-to-back losses to the Lightning and Penguins, but luckily for Ottawa, Detroit has dropped three of its last four games to keep the Senators and Red Wings tied in the wild-card hunt. Detroit is also in action tonight, as they take on the Penguins in Pittsburgh. Needless to say, that puts even more pressure on the Senators.
As previously mentioned, Ottawa tends to play in high-scoring games. They can score in a hurry, but they also give up plenty. The Senators enter this game ranked 10th in scoring (3.30 goals per game), but they are 16th defensively (3.05 goals allowed). Not surprisingly, the power play has been effective, ranking 10th in the league (22.9 per cent). However, the penalty kill is among the worst in the NHL (75.1 per cent), which ranks 29th in the league. Special teams are particularly important at this time of the season, and if the Senators want to continue pushing for a playoff spot, the penalty kill needs to get things figured out in a hurry.
Florida Panthers
The Panthers entered this season coming off back-to-back Stanley Cup titles, but they were dealt a tough blow early on when Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk were slated to miss significant time. Tkachuk returned to the ice in January and has collected 27 points on 12 goals and 15 assists in 26 games this season. However, Barkov is out for the season, and his absence cannot be overstated. His creative playmaking, elite hockey IQ, and strong 200-foot game put him among the best centres in the NHL.
The Panthers enter this matchup stumbling once again, dropping four of their last five games and six of their last eight. They will be happy to return home for this matchup against the Senators, as they have played six of their last eight games on the road, losing all but one of those road tilts.
NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Senators vs. Panthers?
Both teams are looking to end short losing streaks, but it’s Ottawa that has a higher sense of urgency. The wild card race in the Eastern Conference is about as contentious and close as it gets, and Ottawa can’t afford any more missteps if they want to qualify for the postseason. It’s a down year for the Panthers, as the grind of winning back-to-back Stanley Cups may be catching up to them.
I expect Ottawa to get revenge on Florida from their two previous matchups this season and win this game by a score of 4-3 on the road.
OTT
FLA