Canadian Tire Centre will play host to an Atlantic Division matchup as the Boston Bruins take on the Ottawa Senators. Sportsnet will showcase the game, and the puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 30.
Boston Bruins at Ottawa Senators Odds
Boston (+130) is playing the role of underdog to Boston (-150) and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).
Boston is 20-16 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.1 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 36 regular season contests, 19 of its games have gone under the total, while 17 have gone over and none have pushed. This 2017-18 Bruins team is 7-8 SU on the road.
Boston has converted on 19.3 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, it has the sixth-strongest penalty kill in the league, and the team’s successfully killed off 83.9 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, the Bruins have been penalized 4.2 times per game during the 2017-18 season, and 3.2 per game over its past five matchups. The team’s had to kill penalties an unhealthy 14.3 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 25.0 saves per game with a .920 save percentage, Tuukka Rask (12-12-3) has been the best option in goal for Boston this year. If head coach Bruce Cassidy decides to rest him, however, the team may turn to Anton Khudobin (8-6-3), who has a .923 save percentage and 2.48 goals against average this year.
The visiting Bruins have relied on David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand heavily this season. Pastrnak has 33 points via 15 goals and 18 assists, and has recorded two or more points in nine different games. Marchand has 15 goals and 17 assists to his name (and has logged at least one point in 20 games).
Over on the other bench, Ottawa is 12-24 straight up (SU) and has lost 16.6 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 36 regular season contests, 18 of its games have gone over the total, while 17 have gone under and none have pushed. This year, the team is 7-11 SU as the home team.
The Senators have converted on just 16.0 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that places them in the bottom 10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 24th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 78.8 percent of all penalties.
Senators skaters have been sent to the penalty box only 3.6 times per game in total this season, and 4.6 per game over their last five outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties a whopping 13.6 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Craig Anderson has stopped 25.2 shots per game as the top netminder in goal for the Senators. Anderson has 10 wins, 17 losses, and four OT losses to his name and has registered a pedestrian 3.12 goals against average and a subpar .896 save percentage this year.
The Sens offense will be led by Mark Stone (15 goals, 19 assists).
Boston Bruins at Ottawa Senators Betting Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Senators, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Trends
Four of Ottawa’s last ten games have been decided by two or more goals. The team is 1-3 overall in those games.
The Senators are 1-8 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Bruins are 8-4 SU in games where they serve more minutes than their opponent.
Two of Boston’s last ten games have been decided by a shootout. The team is 1-1 in those games and 2-2 overall in shootouts this season.
Boston may hold the upper hand if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 9-7 in one-goal games, while Ottawa is only 7-13 in such games.
The over has hit in three of Ottawa’s last five outings.
Ottawa skaters have averaged 11.0 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 10.1 giveaways per game (ranked 20th in the NHL).
Boston has averaged 7.2 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 8.9 giveaways per game (the 12th-fewest in the league).
This game features a couple of the more aggressive teams in the league. Boston skaters have dished out the league’s eighth-most hits per game (23.3) while the Senators have registered the 10th-most (22.4).
