Canadian Tire Centre will play host to an East-West showdown as the Ottawa Senators face off against the visiting Edmonton Oilers. It’s the last time that the two clubs will meet in the regular season. The match will get started at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 22, and fans at home will be able to witness the game live on Sportsnet West.
Edmonton Oilers vs. Ottawa Senators Odds
Edmonton (-120) is currently favored over Ottawa (+100) and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -110 money on the over and -110 for the under.
Edmonton is 32-41 straight up (SU) and has lost 15.3 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 73 regular season outings, 35 of its games have gone under the total, while 34 have gone over and just four have pushed. The Oilers are 16-21 SU on the road in 2017-18.
Edmonton has converted on just 14.3 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s ranked 32nd in the NHL. Additionally, its penalty kill is ranked 31st in the league, and the team’s successfully killed off only 75.1 percent of all penalties.
Edmonton, as a collective unit, has been penalized 3.7 times per game overall this season, 4.0 per game over its past five total, and 4.2 per game over its last five on the road. The team has been forced to kill penalties 8.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Sporting a .908 save percentage and 27.7 saves per game, Cam Talbot (28-30-2) has been the top option in goal for Edmonton this year. If Edmonton decides to rest him, however, the team could roll with Laurent Brossoit (3-10-1), who has a .886 save percentage and 3.22 goals against average this year.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will both lead the offensive attack for the visiting Oilers. McDavid (90 points) is up to 34 goals and 56 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 26 different games. Draisaitl has 23 goals and 43 assists to his credit, and has registered at least one point in 41 games.
On the other side of the rink, Ottawa is 26-46 straight up (SU) and has lost 16.1 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 72 regular season matches, 38 of its games have gone over the total, while 34 have gone under and none have pushed. It’s 15-21 SU at home this year.
Ottawa has converted on just 16.8 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s ranked 27th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 29th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 75.2 percent of all opponent power plays.
Ottawa players have been penalized only 3.5 times per game in total this season, and 2.2 per game over their last five home outings. The team’s been forced to stave off opponent power plays just 5.8 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Craig Anderson (27.3 saves per game) has been the primary netminder in goal for Ottawa. Anderson has 22 wins, 30 losses, and six overtime losses and has maintained a subpar .901 save percentage and 3.26 goals against average this year.
The home team will be led on offense by Mark Stone (20 goals, 42 assists).
Edmonton Oilers vs. Ottawa Senators Betting Predictions
NHL Prediction: SU Winner – Oilers, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Trends
The over has hit in three of Ottawa’s last five games.
The Senators are 11-22 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 18-31 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
Edmonton is 4-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Ottawa is 2-7 in shootouts.
Ottawa is ranked 21st this season with 6.8 takeaways per game. That figure has trended down, however, as the team has forced 5.3 takeaways over its last 10 games and 5.6 takeaways over its last five.
Edmonton is ranked eighth in the league with 8.2 takeaways per game. That figure has trended upward recently, as the team has managed 11.4 takeaways over its last 10 games and 9.4 takeaways over its last five.
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