The Florida Panthers, spearheaded by Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov, are set to take the ice against Anthony Duclair, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre in an Atlantic Division tilt. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 2, and you can view the game live on Fox SportsNet Florida.
Florida Panthers vs. Ottawa Senators Odds
The Panthers (-135) are being labeled as the favorites over the Senators (+115) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 7 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).
Florida is 20-19 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.6 units for moneyline bettors this year. 23 of its games have gone over the total, while 13 have gone under and just three have pushed. This 2019-20 Panthers team is 7-10 SU on the road.
Florida has converted on 22.5 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s good enough for 10th-best in the league. Its penalty kill is ranked 22nd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 78.4 percent of its penalties..
Averaging 26.9 saves per game with a .897 save percentage, Sergei Bobrovsky (15-16-4) has been the top option in goal for Florida this season. If Florida chooses to rest him, however, the team may roll with Sam Montembeault (3-4-1), who has a .889 save percentage and 3.31 goals against average this year.
Over on the other bench, Ottawa is 16-24 straight up (SU) and has lost 3.0 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 40 regular season outings, 22 of its games have gone over the total, while 18 have gone under and none have pushed. This season, the team’s 11-7 SU at home.
The Senators have converted on just 11.3 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that places them in the bottom overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 11th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.8 percent of all opponent power plays.
Anders Nilsson (28.5 saves per game) has been the top netminder in the crease for the Senators. Nilsson has nine wins, 11 losses, and two overtime losses and has recorded a fairly-weak .908 save percentage and 3.18 goals against average this year.
Florida Panthers vs. Ottawa Senators Free Picks
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Senators, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- The Senators are 5-10 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 7-11 in games where they’re in the box for fewer than 10 penalty minutes, total.
- Florida (3-3 in shootouts this season) has more experience in games decided by shootout. Ottawa has yet to win a shootout this year (0-2).
- For both of these teams, the over has hit in four of their past five matchups.
- Florida has averaged 9.0 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 12.9 giveaways per game (ranked 28th in the NHL).
- Ottawa has averaged 12.4 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 10.8 giveaways per game (ranked 22nd overall).
- The Sens this season have registered the fourth-most hits in the league (27.3 per game).
