The Ottawa Senators host the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third game of their four-game homestand. It’s time to continue our NHL odds series with a Penguins-Senators prediction and pick.
Both the Senators and the Penguins are coming into this game off of very strong performances as of late, especially Ottawa, and they won back-to-back nights against the Devils and the Hurricanes. Pittsburgh is coming off of a big win against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, getting two points closer to the lead in the Metropolitan Division.
Here are the Penguins-Senators NHL Odds, Courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Penguins-Senators Odds
Pittsburgh Penguins: -1.5 (+124) (-225 ML)
Ottawa Senators: +1.5 (-152) (+184 ML)
Over: 6.5 (-104)
Under: 6.5 (-118)
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Why the Penguins Can Cover The Spread/Win
After being one of the hottest teams in the league for the past month or so, the Pittsburgh Penguins had lost four straight games heading into the All-Star break. Luckily they got on the right track against the Bruins on Tuesday and started their second half of the season on the right foot. Superstar Sidney Crosby is looking for his 500th career goal tonight as he's once again, putting together an excellent season. With that said, Jake Guentzel is actually leading the Penguins in scoring, with 48 points in 41 games so far.
While the Penguins have elite offensive capabilities, even without star center Evgeni Malkin, most of their wins can be credited to Vezina Trophy contender, Tristan Jarry. He's 24-8-6 so far on the season, with a .925 save percentage, and a 2.21 average goals against. It's a safe bet that he'll get the start between the pipes tonight, which quite easily would give the Penguins the advantage in net.
Why the Senators Can Cover The Spread/Win
The Senators might not be looking at a playoff spot right now with only 36 points, but when they get hot, it's a better's dream. Because of their lack of wins, Ottawa constantly gets the underdog puckline odds and they love to keep games close. They're 25-17-0 against the spread this year, and they're on a two-game winning streak coming out of the All-Star break.
The Senators are going to need players to step up offensively if they want a chance to keep this win streak alive. Their star center, Brady Tkachuk, is coming off of a two-goal performance, but is still second on the team in points, behind Drake Batherson, who will miss another game tonight due to being placed on IR with an ankle injury. Matt Murray is also set to get the start tonight against his old team. He's having a mediocre season so far, just 5-6-2 and averaging 2.72 goals against, but a .914 save percentage.
Final Penguins-Senators Prediction and Pick
The Penguins are a tough opponent for an Ottawa team whose offensive production isn't very sustainable. Pittsburgh is the better team offensively and in the net, however, I don't love the odds for the Penguins to outright win; even though they most likely will. The Senators should keep it pretty close as they typically do, so I'm going to jump on them for the value pick at +1.5 (-148) before the odds get worse.
Final Penguins-Senators Prediction and Pick: Senators +1.5 (-152)
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