Bridgestone Arena is playing host to an intriguing clash as the Nashville Predators prepare to face the visiting Ottawa Senators. It’s the last time that the two clubs will meet in the regular season. This East-West matchup will get underway at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 25, and it’s being televised live on Reseau Des Sports.
Ottawa Senators at Nashville Predators Odds
Nashville (-245) is currently the favorite over Ottawa (+205), and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 7 goals (-125 for the under, +105 for the over).
The Predators are 30-31 straight up (SU) and have hurt moneyline bettors to the tune of -12.7 units so far. That early-season winning percentage is a regression from the 47-35 record that the team managed during the 2018-19 season campaign. Through 61 regular season outings, 34 of the team’s games have gone over the total, while 26 have gone under and just one has pushed. Thus far, the team is 14-16 SU at home.
Nashville has converted on just 15.9 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that puts the team in the bottom-5 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 32nd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 74.1 percent of all penalties.
Nashville, as a collective unit, has been penalized 3.9 times per game overall this season, and 2.8 per game over its last five games at home. The team has had to defend opponent power plays for 8.8 minutes per game over its last five outings, overall.
With a .900 save percentage and 25.0 saves per game, Pekka Rinne (18-17-4) has been the top goalkeeper for the Predators this year. If head coach John Hynes decides to give him the night off, however, the Preds could roll with Juuse Saros (12-20-20 record, .904 save percentage, 2.95 goals against average).
Roman Josi and Filip Forsberg will both lead the charge for the Predators. Josi (57 points) has tallied 14 goals and 43 assists and has recorded two or more points 14 times this year. Forsberg has 18 goals and 24 assists to his name and has notched at least one point in 31 games.
In the other locker room, Ottawa is 21-42 straight up (SU) and has lost 13.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 63 regular season matches, 32 of its games have gone over the total, while 29 have gone under the total and just one has pushed. As the road team, Ottawa is 6-23 SU.
Ottawa has converted on just 15.5 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s ranked 28th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 21st overall and it’s successfully killed off 78.3 percent of all penalties.
Ottawa’s skaters have been penalized 3.9 times per game in total this season, and 4.6 per game over their last five games. The team has had to kill penalties an unhealthy 17.2 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Craig Anderson (3.21 goals against average and .901 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for Ottawa. Anderson is averaging 26.1 saves per game and owns a 9-20-2 record.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau (24 goals, 16 assists) and Connor Brown (13 goals, 25 assists) are the top point-getters for Ottawa and will lead the attack for the visiting Senators.
Ottawa Senators vs. Nashville Predators Betting Predictions
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Predators, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- For both of these clubs, the game went under the total in three of their last five outings.
- The Predators have averaged the league’s fifth-most shots on goal (33.2) while the Senators have attempted just the 24th-most (33.2).
- The Senators are 7-17 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 12-20 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- Ottawa is 0-5 in games decided by a shootout this season while Nashville is 3-3 in shootouts.
- Nashville is ranked 15th in the league with 7.6 takeaways per game. That figure’s trended lower recently, however, as the team has managed 5.4 takeaways over its last 10 games and 6.0 takeaways over its last five.
- Ottawa has averaged 2.7 goals per game overall this year, but is down to 1.3 goals per contest over its three-game losing streak.
- Ottawa is ranked 29th overall this season with 6.3 takeaways per game. That figure has trended down recently, however, as it’s managed 5.1 takeaways over its last 10 games and 5.6 takeaways over its last five.
- Nashville might hold the upper hand if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 14-12 in games decided by one goal, while Ottawa is 8-16 in such games.
