Minnesota Wild vs. Ottawa Senators Matchup

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Two teams facing each other for the first time this season, the Minnesota Wild and the Ottawa Senators face off at Canadian Tire Centre in an East-versus-West matchup. The match gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 19, and it’s being shown live on Fox Sports North.

Minnesota Wild at Ottawa Senators Odds

Each side currently has an identical -110 moneyline in this one, and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -120 under, +100 over.

Minnesota is 17-16 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.6 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 16 of its outings have gone over the total, while 15 have gone under and just two have pushed. This 2017-18 Wild team is 7-10 SU on the road.

Minnesota has converted on 20.2 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, it has the third-best penalty kill in the league, and it has successfully killed off 84.4 percent of its penalties.

For the team as a whole, Minnesota has been penalized 4.3 times per game overall this season, and 6.0 per game over its last five on the road. The teams had to kill penalties 15.2 minutes per contest over their last five road games.

Averaging 27.8 saves per game with a .916 save percentage, Devan Dubnyk (13-10-2) has been the primary option in goal for Minnesota this season. If head coach Bruce Boudreau decides to rest him, however, the team might roll with Alex Stalock (5-7-1 record, .917 save percentage, 2.69 goals against average).

The visiting Wild have relied on Eric Staal and Jason Zucker this season. Staal has 28 points on 12 goals and 16 assists, and has recorded two or more points in seven different games. Zucker has 14 goals and 11 assists to his name (and has notched a point in 18 games).

Ottawa is 11-20 straight up (SU) and has lost 12.3 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 31 regular season matches, 16 of its games have gone under the total, while 15 have gone over and none have pushed. It’s 6-10 SU at home this year.

Ottawa has converted on just 14.9 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that places it in the bottom overall among NHL teams. Its penalty kill is also ranked 29th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 77.0 percent of all opponent power plays.

Ottawa players have been called for penalties only 3.5 times per game in total this season, and 2.4 per game over their last five at home. The teams had to stave off opponent power plays just 8.3 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.

Craig Anderson has stopped 24.8 shots per game as the top netminder in goal for Ottawa. Anderson has 10 wins, 14 losses, and three OT losses and has maintained a poor .901 save percentage and 2.92 goals against average this season.

The home team will be led on offense by Mark Stone (14 goals, 14 assists).

Minnesota Wild vs. Ottawa Senators Betting Predictions

Predictions: SU Winner – Senators, O/U – Over

Betting Trends

  • The total has gone under in four of Ottawa’s last five games.
  • Minnesota has managed 24.6 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Ottawa is averaging 30.8 shots per game over its last five at home.
  • The Senators are 6-14 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 8-13 in games where they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 total minutes.
  • Minnesota is 2-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Ottawa is 1-4 in shootouts.
  • Ottawa is ranked 19th overall with 6.9 takeaways per game. That figure has trended lower, however, as it has managed 5.3 takeaways over its last 10 games and 5.6 takeaways over its last five.
  • Minnesota skaters have created 5.4 takeaways per game over its last five road games, a drop-off from its season average of 6.3 takeaways per game (ranked 23rd in the league).