Minnesota Wild vs. Ottawa Senators Prediction, NHL Odds
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Jeremy Perry
The Minnesota Wild are coming off of a win against the Montreal Canadiens but it’s little to be excited about. The Wild are still in a funk as they’ve lost four out of their first six games of the year. Meanwhile, the Senators have won four straight games coming into this one, all of them coming on their own ice. With home-ice advantage once again here, Ottawa looks primed to keep on rolling forward. Can they extend the streak to five?
Minnesota is a slim -126 favourite to win on the NHL odds, with a total of 6.5.
Wild vs. Senators NHL Betting Odds
The Wild are 4-1 in their last five games against teams in the Atlantic Division. However, they’ve lost seven out of their last nine games overall coming into this one and are winless in their past four against teams with a winning record. Over has been a good bet in their games as it’s cashed in five of their last six.
The Senators have won four straight against teams with a winning percentage below .400 and are 6-2 in their past eight when coming off of a win in the previous matchup. Similar to the Wild, the over has been cashing. It’s hit in seven out of Ottawa’s last nine games played at home.
During the last seven meetings between Ottawa and Minnesota, the home team has won five of them.
Minnesota Wild
The Wild are getting killed on the defensive end of the ice these days, which is leading to their slump. They aren’t just below average back there; they are arguably the worst defensive team in the league right now. Minnesota is allowing 5.40 goals per game to their opponents, ranking dead-last in the league. They also give up 35.2 shots on net per game, which is the 28th-worst mark. Even their penalty kill unit is abysmal, ranking 22nd in the league in success rate.
Much of these numbers rest on the shoulders of their goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury is not having a great start to the season despite having a 2-1-1 record. He’s allowing 4.30 goals per game to their opponents and has an atrocious .869 save percentage.
The offence has kept them afloat with the seventh-best goals-per-game average, but at some point, their defence has to improve.
Ottawa Senators
Similar to the Wild, Ottawa is great offensively with a below average defence. The offence of the Senators is helping them score 4.27 goals per game which ranks them fourth-best in the NHL. Their shots per game average ranks 10th and their power play unit is 13th. These are big improvements over last season. Simply put, this offensive unit is trucking forward right now behind the success of Brady Tkachuk, Shane Pinto, and company.
Flipping over to the defence, the Senators allow 3.25 goals per game which places them down at 19th. Anton Forsberg has been in the net for the majority of the season, compiling a record of 3-2-0 with a .904 save percentage and a 2.82 goals-against average. Given how both goaltenders have fared, over might be a good wager.
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