Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Anthony Duclair, and the Ottawa Senators will face off against Jake Guentzel, Evgeni Malkin, and the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena in an Eastern Conference showdown. The match will get underway at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, December 30, and it is being televised live on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.
Ottawa Senators vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Odds
The Penguins (-240) are tabbed as the favorites over the Senators (+200), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been placed at 7 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).
Pittsburgh is 23-15 straight-up (SU) and has earned 4.1 units for moneyline bettors this season. That winning percentage, ranked fourth in the league in this young season, is an improvement over the 44-38 record from last year’s regular season campaign. Of its 38 regular season outings, 19 have gone under the total, while 18 have gone over and just one has pushed. The team is 15-6 SU at home this year.
The Penguins have converted on 19.3 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 15th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 81.0 percent of all penalties.
With a .894 save percentage and 24.3 saves per game, Matt Murray (12-11-4) has been the most dependable goalkeeper for Pittsburgh this year. If the Pens, however, choose to give him the evening off, head coach Mike Sullivan might go with Tristan Jarry (12-5-5 record, .939 save percentage, 1.87 goals against average).
On the visitors’ side of the rink, Ottawa is 16-23 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.6 units for moneyline bettors this year. 20 of its contests have gone over the total, while 18 have gone under the total and none have pushed. The Senators are 5-16 SU as the road team this season.
The Senators have converted on just 11.5 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that places them in the bottom- overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 11th overall and it’s successfully killed off 81.7 percent of all opponent power plays.
Anders Nilsson (28.5 saves per game) has been the primary option in the net for Ottawa. Nilsson has nine wins, 11 losses, and two OT losses to his credit, and has registered a .908 save percentage and 3.18 goals against average this year.
Ottawa Senators at Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- The Penguins are 2-0 in games decided by a shootout this season while the Senators are 0-2 in shootouts.
- For both of these clubs, the game went over the total in three of their last five matchups.
- Eight of Pittsburgh’s last ten contests have been decided by two or more goals. The team is 6-2 overall in those games.
- This game features two of the more physical teams in the league. Ottawa skaters have accounted for the fifth-most hits in the league (26.6 per game) while the Penguins have registered the second-most (28.8).
