NHL Betting -- Oilers-Senators: Are Better Results Ahead For Ottawa?

  • In Charles Jay
  • Tue, Feb 9th, 2021 1:28:24 pm
  • By Charles Jay - Exclusive to OSGA


The Ottawa Senators have been struggling, and the Edmonton Oilers have beaten them in three straight meetings this season. Can Ottawa reverse itself on Tuesday night?


The Ottawa Senators are a beleaguered team this season, to say the least. And their coach, DJ Smith, has been on the hot seat for some time now. But with some competitive efforts lately, might they be turning the corner? Or are such forecasts premature?

There was some encouragement from the effort they put forth on Monday night against the Edmonton Oilers, and on Tuesday these teams will play again in the second of back-to-back meetings at 7 p.m. Eastern time at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.

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Ottawa Senators free pickIt was a pretty good outing for Matt Murray on Monday night. He was faced with four power play situations and turned back all of them for the Senators. Ultimately it was not enough, as his team did not give him any offensive support. The only goal Ottawa scored was when Edmonton put it into their own net. Mike Smith, the 38 year-old veteran goaltender, stopped 27 shots in his season debut and the Oilers came away with a 3 - 1 victory.

The goaltenders in this game will be different. Edmonton goes back to Mikko Koskinen, who has started twelve of his team's 14 games, while Ottawa, by all indications, will turn to to Marcus Hogberg in goal.

The Senators won their game on opening night, beating Toronto, but have gone on to lose ten of their last 11. However, they have looked more competitive of late, beating Montreal and then losing a 2 - 1 decision to the Canadiens before traveling to Edmonton.

In the NHL betting odds posted on this game by the folks at BetAnySports, the Oilers are the favorites on the road:

Edmonton Oilers   -210
Ottawa Senators + 175

Over 6.5 goals -111
Under 6.5 goals -109

Oilers      -1.5 goals (+120)
Senators +1.5 goals (-140)

The situation in goal for Edmonton has admittedly been somewhat shaky. Koskinen comes into this game with a 3.55 goals-against-average. That's adequate, as long as you have offensive punch like the Oilers can get. Connor McDavid, of course, is probably the best player in the NHL at the moment, and Leon Draisaitl, his linemate, is a worthy sidekick. Both of those players have scored at least one point in ten straight games.

Oilers Senators free pickAnd when you look at the situation with Smith, who was just coming off injured reserve, it's likely Coach Dave Tippett does not want to overtax him. But since the start of the 2018 - 19 season, his save percentage is hovering around ,900. He is very good at "playing the puck" and helping Edmonton break out down the ice, and some of the players have really praised his veteran presence, which may or may not indicate that they lack some confidence in Koskinen.

But in the advanced metric of Goals Saved Above Average, Koskinen got positive marks last season, while Smith, who split time with him, was a less-than-mediocre -7.71.

What's a little encouraging about Edmonton is the fact that they're getting some production outside of the top six. Two goals on Monday night came from the fourth line, with worker bee Tyler Ennis notching one of them for the Oilers when they caught Ottawa in a line change.

But it did look like the Senators had a more competitive spirit then they did last week, when they lost two games by a combined five goals against Edmonton, giving up a dozen goals in the process There is, however, a lot to overcome, as Ottawa has scored just five times in its last three games. And it can't be easy for DJ Smith, who has to read in the newspapers and on the internet about who his possible successors might be. But he continues to talk about his team making "progress," though we're not sure exactly how much that is going to mean with each passing game.

Sure, the Senators did not lay down last night, nor did they in Montreal. But we are not sure we are ready to make a leap with them at the moment. Yes, there could be some value in the money line, but the puck line is we where we will concentrate in this one.

The play is Edmonton -1.5, priced at +120.

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