The Pittsburgh Penguins continue to climb the Metropolitan Division standings as they get set to host an Ottawa Senators team that sits tied for second-last in the entire NHL.  The Pens are coming off a 5-3 win in Vegas on Monday, while the Sens fell 3-1 to Buffalo at home on Tuesday.

Pittsburgh is a -253 favourite to win on the NHL odds, with a total of 6.0.

Senators vs. Penguins NHL Betting Odds

Ottawa got the best of the Penguins with a 6-3 home win on Nov. 13.  It was the fourth straight game between these teams to hit the Over.  Just under 90 per cent of Sports Interaction bettors are liking Pittsburgh to take this one, while about 75 per cent of action is taking the Over.

The Senators haven’t fared well in the Steel City, losing in their last eight trips to Pittsburgh.  They’re an even 16-16 against the spread this season, including 10-7 ATS on the road.  Low scoring games have been a trend, with the total going Under in four of Ottawa’s last six games.

Pittsburgh has been on a heater lately.  The Pens are 13-2 straight up over their last 15 games, including 5-0 SU in their last five home games.  They’re 19-19 ATS overall and 7-10 ATS at home.  The total has gone Over in four of the Penguins’ last six games against Eastern Conference opponents.

Ottawa Senators

Ottawa’s two-game win streak was halted on Tuesday.  Drake Batherson‘s power play goal in the second period was the only one of the Senators’ 44 shots to find the back of the net.  Anton Forsberg turned aside 29 of 31 shots in the loss.  Batherson’s strong play this season has earned him his first career All-Star nod.  He’s averaging over a point per game, putting up 11 goals and 20 assists in 27 games.  Josh Norris leads the team with 16 goals.  The power play has been one of the few strengths for the Senators.  They’re converting 20 per cent of the time with the extra man, ranking 15th in the league.  Ottawa has struggled defensively, however.  They rank 28th in goals-against, giving up an average of 3.59 per night.

Matt Murray is travelling with the team but he won’t play as he is dealing with a non-COVID illness that kept him from starting against Buffalo.  Forsberg will get the nod again on Thursday.  He’s 6-6-1 this season with a 3.07 goals-against average and .910 save percentage.  Forsberg is trending up lately, allowing two goals or fewer in six of his last eight starts and going 5-2-1 during that span.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pens erased a 3-0 first period deficit in Vegas on Monday, scoring five unanswered goals over the second and third periods.  Jason Zucker led the way with two goals, while Teddy Blueger, Jake Guentzel and Sidney Crosby also scored.  Tristan Jarry stopped 23 of 26 shots.  Guentzel has been a big part of Pittsburgh’s resurgence this season as he leads the team in both goals (20) and points (38).  After missing the first few months of the campaign because of offseason knee surgery, Evgeni Malkin looks like he’s back up to speed and has picked up four points (2G, 2A) in four games.

Jarry will get the start in net again on Thursday.  He’s compiled a 19-7-4 record and among goalies with at least five games played this season, he sits fourth in GAA (2.08), fifth in SV (.928) and tied for third in shutouts (3).  Jarry has been particularly tough to beat at home, where he has posted a .932 SV.

NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Senators vs. Penguins?

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Senators Team Leaders

OTT

Points	Brady Tkachuk 67
+ / -	Mathieu Joseph 8
Shots	Brady Tkachuk 288
Penalty Mins	Brady Tkachuk 117
Wins	Anton Forsberg 22
GAA	Anton Forsberg 2.82

PIT

Points	Jake Guentzel 84
+ / -	Brian Dumoulin 24
Shots	Jake Guentzel 264
Penalty Mins	Kris Letang 49
Wins	Tristan Jarry 34
GAA	Louis Domingue 2.02

OTT

Points
+ / -
Shots	Did not qualify
Penalty Mins
Wins
GAA

PIT

Points	Jake Guentzel 10
+ / -	Kasperi Kapanen 4
Shots	Jake Guentzel 39
Penalty Mins	Mike Matheson 6
Wins	Louis Domingue 3
GAA	Casey DeSmith 2.02

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Penguins Team Leaders

OTT

Points	Brady Tkachuk 67
+ / -	Mathieu Joseph 8
Shots	Brady Tkachuk 288
Penalty Mins	Brady Tkachuk 117
Wins	Anton Forsberg 22
GAA	Anton Forsberg 2.82

PIT

Points	Jake Guentzel 84
+ / -	Brian Dumoulin 24
Shots	Jake Guentzel 264
Penalty Mins	Kris Letang 49
Wins	Tristan Jarry 34
GAA	Louis Domingue 2.02

OTT

Points
+ / -
Shots	Did not qualify
Penalty Mins
Wins
GAA

PIT

Points	Jake Guentzel 10
+ / -	Kasperi Kapanen 4
Shots	Jake Guentzel 39
Penalty Mins	Mike Matheson 6
Wins	Louis Domingue 3
GAA	Casey DeSmith 2.02

Injuries

Ottawa

Connor Brown (RW)

out for season Undisclosed - 23 / 04 / 22

Nikita Zaitsev (D)

Prob Tues Illness - 23 / 04 / 22

Tim Stutzle (LW)

Ques Fri Undisclosed - 22 / 04 / 22

Colin White (C)

out for season Illness - 16 / 04 / 22

Mathieu Joseph (RW)

out for season Undisclosed - 14 / 04 / 22

Artem Zub (D)

Ques Thurs Illness - 12 / 04 / 22

Tim Stutzle (LW)

Prob Sun Knee - 07 / 04 / 22

Dylan Gambrell (C)

Prob Sat Illness - 07 / 04 / 22

Tyler Ennis (RW)

out for season Upper Body - 03 / 04 / 22

Nikita Zaitsev (D)

Ques Sat Face - 25 / 03 / 22

Pittsburgh

Brian Boyle (C)

Out indefinitely Leg - 13 / 05 / 22

Sidney Crosby (C)

Ques Sun Head - 11 / 05 / 22

Brian Dumoulin (D)

day-to-day Lower Body - 05 / 05 / 22

Casey DeSmith (G)

out for season Abdominal - 04 / 05 / 22

Rickard Rakell (RW)

Ques Sun Head - 03 / 05 / 22

Jason Zucker (LW)

Ques Sat Lower Body - 26 / 04 / 22

Jason Zucker (LW)

Ques Sat Illness - 22 / 04 / 22

Jeff Carter (C)

Prob Sat Lower Body - 21 / 04 / 22

Evan Rodrigues (C)

Ques Thurs Illness - 13 / 04 / 22

Bryan Rust (RW)

Ques Thurs Illness - 13 / 04 / 22

Injuries

Ottawa

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Connor Brown (RW)	out for season	Undisclosed - 23 / 04 / 22	2-2	2-2	+ -
Brown is expected miss the rest of the season due to an undisclosed injury.
Nikita Zaitsev (D)	Prob Tues	Illness - 23 / 04 / 22	2-2	2-2	+ -
Zaitsev missed the last game due to a non-COVID-19 illness, but it is likely that he will suit up against the Devils on Tuesday.
Tim Stutzle (LW)	Ques Fri	Undisclosed - 22 / 04 / 22	3-2	3-2	+ -
Stutzle is tending to an undisclosed injury, and it is unknown if he will battle the Blue Jackets on Friday.
Colin White (C)	out for season	Illness - 16 / 04 / 22	5-3	4-3-1	+ -
White has been shuttled to the COVID-19 protocol, and it is likely that he will sit out the remainder of the 2021-22 season.
Mathieu Joseph (RW)	out for season	Undisclosed - 14 / 04 / 22	6-3	4-4-1	+ -
Joseph is idle due to an unknown injury, and he will sit out the remainder of the season.
Artem Zub (D)	Ques Thurs	Illness - 12 / 04 / 22	7-3	5-4-1	+ -
Zub sat out the previous game with an illness, and it is uncertain if he will partake in Thursday's clash with the Bruins.
Tim Stutzle (LW)	Prob Sun	Knee - 07 / 04 / 22	9-4	6-5-2	+ -
Stutzle has sat out the last two contests with knee soreness, but it is likely that he will be available for Sunday's clash with the Jets.
Dylan Gambrell (C)	Prob Sat	Illness - 07 / 04 / 22	9-4	6-5-2	+ -
Gambrell sat out the previous matchup due to an illness, but it is projected that he will play against the Rangers on Saturday.
Tyler Ennis (RW)	out for season	Upper Body - 03 / 04 / 22	11-4	8-5-2	+ -
Ennis has been placed on the injured reserve list with an upper-body issue, and he is expected to miss the rest of the 2021-22 season.
Nikita Zaitsev (D)	Ques Sat	Face - 25 / 03 / 22	13-5	10-6-2	+ -
Zaitsev exited the last game with a facial laceration, and it is unclear if he will be available for Saturday's matchup with the Panthers.

Pittsburgh

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Brian Boyle (C)	Out indefinitely	Leg - 13 / 05 / 22	0-2	2-0	+ -
Boyle is sidelined by a leg injury, and he will miss an undetermined length of time.
Sidney Crosby (C)	Ques Sun	Head - 11 / 05 / 22	1-2	3-0	+ -
Crosby is managing a head injury, and it is up in the air if he will face the Rangers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference first round.
Brian Dumoulin (D)	day-to-day	Lower Body - 05 / 05 / 22	3-3	6-0	+ -
Dumoulin has a lower-body injury, and it is unknown if he will be active for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference second round versus the Hurricanes.
Casey DeSmith (G)	out for season	Abdominal - 04 / 05 / 22	3-3	6-0	+ -
DeSmith will sit out the remainder of the 2021-22 season after undergoing core muscle surgery.
Rickard Rakell (RW)	Ques Sun	Head - 03 / 05 / 22	4-3	7-0	+ -
Rakell is managing a head injury, and it has yet to be established if he will be available for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference first round versus the Rangers.
Jason Zucker (LW)	Ques Sat	Lower Body - 26 / 04 / 22	4-5	7-2	+ -
Zucker is dealing with a lower-body injury, and it is unknown if he will suit up against the Rangers for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference first round.
Jason Zucker (LW)	Ques Sat	Illness - 22 / 04 / 22	6-5	8-3	+ -
Zucker is dealing with a non-COVID-19 illness, and it is undecided if he will be active for Saturday's tilt against the Red Wings.
Jeff Carter (C)	Prob Sat	Lower Body - 21 / 04 / 22	7-5	8-4	+ -
Carter exited the last contest due to a lower-body injury, but it is projected that he will suit up against the Red Wings on Saturday.
Evan Rodrigues (C)	Ques Thurs	Illness - 13 / 04 / 22	8-6	10-4	+ -
Rodrigues exited the previous matchup due to an illness, and it has yet to be established if he will be active for Thursday's tilt against the Islanders.
Bryan Rust (RW)	Ques Thurs	Illness - 13 / 04 / 22	8-6	10-4	+ -
Rust was removed from the last game due to an illness, and it is unclear if he will be in Thursday's lineup against the Islanders.