New Jersey Devils vs Ottawa Senators Odds
| Devils Odds | -125 |
| Senators Odds | +105 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 -125o / +105u |
It's been a long and embarrassing season for both the Devils and Senators, and both teams will hope to shake off ugly performances on Saturday.
The Devils have blown leads in three straight matchups and didn't even manage to secure a single point from those outings. They're now 4-6-0 over their last 10 and don't seem to be turning it around under new head coach Travis Green.
The Senators are playing out the stretch respectably, as they've done every year in their current rebuild. They're 5-2-0 over the last seven and will look to respond to an ugly 6-0 loss Saturday on home ice.
Let's dive into the Devils vs. Senators odds and picks in our NHL betting preview for Saturday, April 6.
New Jersey Devils
If anything, the Devils' play has taken a step backward since Green was promoted to head coach. They're 6-9-0 in 15 games under Green and have still allowed 3.1 goals against per game.
Green has actually received quality goaltending in his tenure from newcomers Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen, so it's fair to say the team has shown next to no improvement given that goaltending was their greatest concern under Lindy Ruff.
The Devils have played to an xGA/60 of 3.5 in 15 games under Green, which is the eighth-worst mark in the league. It seems quite unlikely he will not be back next season, but New Jersey's struggles are clearly caused by more than just bad coaching.
With Luke Hughes displaying pretty dreadful form defensively, the Devils' defensive core is a significant concern. John Marino is set to miss this contest — a notable absence for a blue-line that's getting exposed consistently.
The Devils do still hold a ton of offensive firepower and have been quite productive of late. Their 3.7 xGF/60 throughout Green's tenure ranks third in the league.
Green has gotten the most out of superstar forward Timo Meier, who finished the month of March with the most goals in the league.
Allen has been confirmed as New Jersey's goaltender for this matchup and has played to a -1.4 GSAx and .897 save percentage in 27 appearances this season.
Ottawa Senators
Outside of the Senators' 6-0 pummeling at the hands of an angry Florida Panthers side, their recent play has remained quite respectable.
Their solid overall process continues to be hidden by shockingly poor goaltending, though, as their netminders have put up a save percentage of only .876 over the last 15 games. Anton Forsberg is the best option they have and has been confirmed as tonight's starter, but he has still struggled to a -8.5 GSAx and .888 save percentage across 27 appearances.
Over the last 15 games, the Senators have generated 3.3 xGF/60, which ranks 11th in the league. Their offensive core will be without Tim Stutzle, but there's still enough talent on hand to give the Devils' shaky blue line problems.
Travis Hamonic looks likely to miss this contest for Ottawa, too, and that might actually be a good thing. The Senators have allowed over one-third of a goal less when Hamonic is out of the lineup this season, as he has clearly lost a step at this point in his career.
Devils vs Senators
Betting Pick & Prediction
The Devils' recent skid has frankly been quite pathetic, and at this point, it doesn't seem that the current defensive core is play much better.
New Jersey is great at getting on the front and attacking, though, and it should see its talented offensive core do some damage in this matchup.
Even without Stutzle, the Senators still have plenty of offensive talent themselves.
They remain in the top third of the league in terms of chances created over the last month of action. A lack of offensive firepower has rarely been the problem in this disappointing campaign.
We should see both teams contribute to this high total, and I like the chances of the over cashing. There's value at -120, but I wouldn't go longer than that with Allen vs. Forsberg confirmed as the goaltending matchup.
Shane Pinto is priced at +110 to record three shots on goal, and I believe there's value in that bet as well.
He has been trending lower in terms of shots on goal recently, but bumping back up to the top power-play unit should help his average. The Devils have also allowed the seventh-most shots per 60 over their last 10 games.
