The Western Conference wildcard leader, the Nashville Predators, will host the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday at 8:05 p.m.
Nashville currently sits in fourth place in the Central Division with a record of 38-24-4.
With 80 points, the Predators are four points ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights for the top wildcard spot in the Western Conference. They trail the St. Louis Blues (81 points), Minnesota Wild (84 points), and the division-leading Colorado Avalanche (98 points) in the Central.
Meanwhile, the Senators are entirely out of the playoff picture. Entering Tuesday’s contest, they remain near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 23-36-6.
The Nashville Predators are favorites at -225.
Nashville Predators Look to Hold On To Wildcard Spot
In their most recent game, the Predators bounced back after two straight 6-1 road losses to the Los Angeles Kings and Golden Knights, knocking off the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4 on Saturday at home.
Led by Filip Forsberg and Matt Duchene, who’ve combined for 71 goals, the Predators’ offense has been formidable.
Forsberg has a team-leading 37 goals, sitting third on the Predators in points with 65. Duchene is second on the team in goals (34) and points (67).
Defenseman Roman Josi leads Nashville in assists with 63 and total points with 81.
This season, the Predators average just over three goals per game (3.26 GF/G).
Nashville’s power-play is ranked seventh in the NHL (24.29%), and their 50 power-play goals are third in the league behind only the Edmonton Oilers (52) and Colorado Avalanche (57).
Goaltender Juuse Saros has posted a .920 SV% with a 2.58 GAA in 55 games (32-20-3) for the Predators. As a team, Nashville has allowed 2.91 GA/G.
Young Ottawa Senators Have Struggled to Score This Season
With the average age of their roster at 25.58, the Senators are one of the youngest teams in the league. Their youth has shown on both ends of the ice this season.
A pair of 22-year-olds lead the Senators in goals; forward Brady Tkachuk has 22 goals and leads the team in points with 46, while center Josh Norris has the team lead in goals, 26, with 12 assists for 38 points.
However, with only two 20-plus goal-scorers on the roster, the Senators have struggled to light the lamp this season. The Senators have scored 169 total goals, just three more than the Arizona Coyotes’ league-low 166 goals-for.
Ottawa’s 8.6 shooting percentage is the fifth-worst in the NHL, with only the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, Montreal Canadians, and Kings shooting at a lower rate.
Goaltender Anton Forsberg is getting the bulk of the starts in the net since Matt Murray’s neck injury on March 10. Forsberg is playing arguably the best season of his career, despite going 15-13-3 in 32 starts. This season, Forsberg has a .919 SV% and a 2.72 GAA.
Betting Prediction
The Nashville Predators vs. Ottawa Senators will take the ice Tuesday for 30th all-time meeting between the two teams.
However, this will be the first time the two teams have met in over two years, with the last meeting in February 2020.
The Senators have struggled throughout the season, especially on the road as of late; Ottawa has lost six of their last eight road games.
Meanwhile, the Predators have won six of their last eight home games and eight of their previous 12 games. Nashville has also dominated the Senators on home ice, winning the last six matchups with Ottawa at Bridgestone Arena.
Even with Forsberg’s strong play for Ottawa this season, the Senators can’t match Nashville’s offensive firepower.
Nashville is the better team with more to play for, and they should be more than Ottawa can handle on Tuesday night.
The Predators at -225 is the pick to play for this one.
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