Predators vs. Senators Odds
| Predators Odds | -110 |
| Senators Odds | -110 |
| Over/Under | 6 (-110/-110) |
| Time | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | NHL Network |
| Odds via FanDuel. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
Two teams on the upswing will both be looking to keep their positive momentum alive when the Nashville Predators visit the Canadian Tire Centre to take on the Ottawa Senators on Monday.
The Predators are midway through a tough five-game road trip and have a perfect 3-0-0 record so far in 2023. The Senators are wrapping up a four-game homestand and are 4-2-1 in their past seven games. But they had a setback Saturday night, when they dropped a tough 8-4 decision to the Seattle Kraken.
Here's the latest on both teams, and your best bet for Monday's contest.
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators are back in a familiar place in the standings — hovering just below the playoff cutline, looking to earn a postseason berth for the ninth straight season.
The Predators are three points behind Edmonton and Calgary, who are in the Western Conference wild-card spots. However, Nashville has multiple games in hand on both teams.
The Predators have long had a tendency to be streaky. And right now, things are going well. The club is 4-0-1 in its past five games and has just one regulation loss in its past nine.
For the year, Nashville's team stats generally rank in the middle or lower half of the league — with the notable exception of goaltender Juuse Saros. He's fourth overall with 16.4 goals saved above expected.
Saros is also one of the busiest goaltenders in the league, but he got the night off in Nashville's 3-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Friday, one day after his 64-save win over the Carolina Hurricanes . After a couple of days of rest, he should be good to go against the Senators on Monday.
If you drill down to look at the Predators' numbers since mid-December, they rank among the league's best teams. They're top 10 in goals scored, goals against and on the power play. Additionally, their penalty kill is in the top five.
Ottawa Senators
Speaking of strong special teams, the Senators have also been terrific in odd-man situations since mid-December. Ottawa ranks overall with a power play success rate of 30.3% and second-best on the penalty kill (93.1%) during that timeframe.
The Senators are two games above .500 on home ice and have been trending in a positive direction with a 12-6-2 record since Thanksgiving.
That's when the tide started to turn for Cam Talbot, who started the season on the injured list, then had a few tough weeks right after his return.
Talbot is 10-10-1 for the year, but it's Anton Forsberg (7-8-2) who has a slightly better save percentage (.909%). Forsberg's 8.9 goals saved above expected are also much better as Talbot is at -0.6.
When it comes to expected goals share at 5-on-5, Ottawa leads Nashville by a couple of percentage points.
However, the Senators are also a little more banged up. Forward Josh Norris is sidelined with a shoulder issue and Tyler Motte has a broken finger. Mathieu Joseph is getting close to a return from his lower-body issue an Nikita Zaitsev has missed the past five games with a lower-body injury of his own.
Predators vs. Senators Pick
FanDuel sees this game as a pick 'em, but other sites are giving a slight edge to Ottawa at home.
The big question here: What type of response can coach D.J. Smith elicit from his Senators after their worst defensive performance of the season against Seattle on Saturday?
For the most part, Ottawa has done a good job of not letting losses snowball into long losing streaks. The Senators also have the edge in the season series, having picked up a 3-2 win with Talbot between the pipes in Nashville on Dec. 10.
But the Predators have found their form since then. They're playing with a ton of confidence and Saros gives his team a chance to win every time he steps between the pipes. He hasn't given up more than three goals in a game since early December.
On Monday, back the hot goaltender — and shop around. You may be able to bet the Predators on the moneyline at close to even money.
Pick: Nashville Moneyline (-110) | Play to -120 |
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