Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, and the Calgary Flames will face off against Anthony Duclair, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre in an East-West tilt. The opening face-off takes place at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 18, and you will be able to see the game live on Sportsnet West.
Calgary Flames at Ottawa Senators Odds
Ottawa (+135) is currently the underdog to Calgary (-155) and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at an even 6 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).
Calgary is 26-23 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.8 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 49 regular season matches, 26 of its games have gone under the total, while 20 have gone over and just three have pushed. The Flames are 13-13 SU as an away team in 2019-20.
Calgary has converted on 18.9 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, it has the seventh-best penalty kill in the league, and it’s successfully killed off 83.0 percent of its penalties..
With a .915 save percentage and 28.8 saves per game, David Rittich (19-16-5) has been the primary option in goal for Calgary this year. If head coach Geoff Ward chooses to rest him, however, the team could turn to Cam Talbot (7-9 record, .922 save percentage, 2.54 goals against average).
Ottawa is 16-31 straight up (SU) and has lost 10.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 47 regular season outings, 25 of its games have gone over the total, while 21 have gone under and just one has pushed. It’s 11-12 SU at home this year.
The Senators have converted on just 11.7 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that places them in the bottom overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 15th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.0 percent of all penalties.
Anders Nilsson (28.5 saves per game) has been the primary selection in goal for the Senators. Nilsson has nine wins, 11 losses, and two OT losses and has maintained a pedestrian 3.18 goals against average and a poor .908 save percentage this year.
Calgary Flames vs. Ottawa Senators Free Picks
NHL Pick: SU Winner – Senators, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- 62.5 percent of Ottawa’s wins have come by two or more goals (the team is 10-19 overall in such games) while 38.5 percent of Calgary’s wins have come by two goals or more (10-16 overall in such games).
- The extra-man advantage may prove to be critical in the outcome of this matchup. The Flames are 12-7 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 20-16 in games where they’re in the box for fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Senators are 5-14 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 7-15 in games where their penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- Calgary is 5-0 in games decided by a shootout this season while Ottawa is 0-3 in shootouts.
- Calgary could hold the upper hand if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s an impressive 16-7 in games decided by one goal, while Ottawa is only 6-12 in such games.
- Calgary skaters have averaged 11.6 giveaways over its last five home games, right in line with its season average of 11.8 giveaways per game (ranked 25th in the NHL).
- Ottawa has averaged 11.6 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 10.9 giveaways per game (ranked 23rd in the league).
- The Sens this season have tallied the sixth-most hits in the league (27.5 per game), but the team’s averaged 32.4 over their last five games as the home team.
