Considered by many to be the two weakest clubs in the NHL, the Detroit Red Wings and the Ottawa Senators collide at Canadian Tire Centre. This Atlantic Division matchup will get underway at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 29 and it’s being televised live on TVA 2.
Detroit Red Wings at Ottawa Senators Odds
Ottawa heads into the matchup as the substantial favorite with a moneyline of -165. The line for Detroit is standing at +145 and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals. The odds for betting that total stand at -105 for the over and -115 on the under.
The Senators are 22-43 straight up (SU) and have not been kind to moneyline bettors (to the tune of -14.3 units) thus far. That early-season winning percentage is right in line with the 29-53 record the team posted during last year’s regular season campaign. Through 65 regular season matches, 34 of its games have gone over the total, while 30 have gone under and just one has pushed. Thus far, the team’s 16-19 SU at home.
Ottawa’s converted on just 15.3 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s ranked 30th overall in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 25th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 77.4 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, Ottawa has been penalized 3.9 times per game overall this season, and 5.0 per game over its last five contests at home. The team has had to stave off opposition power plays for a whopping 18.2 minutes per game over its last five outings, in total.
With a .901 save percentage and 26.2 saves per game, Craig Anderson (9-21-2) has been the principal option in goal for the Senators this year. If head coach Dj Smith chooses to give him the night off, however, the Sens may roll with Marcus Hogberg (4-18-18 record, .909 save percentage, 3.05 goals against average).
The Sens will continue looking for leadership from Connor Brown and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Brown (40 points) is up to 14 goals and 26 assists and has recorded multiple points on nine different occasions this year. Pageau has 24 goals and 16 assists to his credit and has recorded a point in 29 contests.
Detroit has lost 25.6 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year and is currently 15-51 straight up (SU). Through 66 regular season contests, 32 of its games have gone under the total, while 26 have gone over and just eight have pushed. As the visiting team, Detroit is 5-28 SU.
Detroit has converted on just 14.6 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that places it in the bottom- overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 29th overall and it’s successfully killed off 74.5 percent of all opponent power plays.
Detroit’s skaters have been penalized 3.6 times per game this season, 4.0 per game over their past five outings total, and 3.8 per game over their last five on the road. The team has had to stave off opponent power plays 8.7 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jonathan Bernier (26.1 saves per game) has been the primary choice in the net for Detroit. Bernier has 13 wins, 28 losses, and two OT losses to his credit, and has registered a .906 save percentage and 2.95 goals against average this year.
For the visiting Red Wings, the offense will be facilitated by Dylan Larkin (17 goals, 29 assists) and Tyler Bertuzzi (18 goals, 23 assists).
Detroit Red Wings at Ottawa Senators Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner – Senators, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Detroit is 2-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Ottawa is 0-5 in shootouts.
- The under has hit in three of Ottawa’s last five outings.
- Detroit has managed 26.2 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Ottawa is averaging 34.2 shots per game over its last five at home.
- Eight of Detroit’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 1-7 in those games.
- This game features two of the more aggressive defenses in the league. Detroit skaters have accounted for the league’s 12th-most hits per game (22.2) while the Sens have registered the third-most (27.9).
