Ottawa Senators vs Edmonton Oilers - Odds and Predictions

Where: Rogers Place – Edmonton, AB., Canada

When: Wednesday, December 4, 9:30 PM EST

How (TV/Radio): TVA, Sportsnet West, TSN5 | WFAN

Ottawa Senators (Away)

Head Coach: D.J. Smith{All-Time 11-15-1 OTT}

The Ottawa Senators hit the road and head to Western Canada. The Ottawa Senators are only 4-10-1 on the road so far this season and are currently riding a four-game losing skid.

Offense

If you’re a member of the Ottawa Senators, then you don’t have much to brag about in terms of offense. The team has combined to score only 69 goals this season – the fourth-fewest in the league.

The Senators also rank as low as 25th in the league when it comes to shots on net and have the league’s sixth-worst shooting percentage at 8.5 percent.

But it’s the special teams that are truly crippling this team. Ottawa ranks dead last in the NHL when it comes to the power play, not even breaking the ten percent marker. Their power play is almost non-existent at 9.3 percent.

The only statistical advantage they bring into Wednesday night’s game is their ability to win faceoffs. The Sens actually rank within the league’s top ten (at tenth-place) when it comes to faceoff percentage. They have a 51 percent success rate in the faceoff circle.

Defense

Let’s start with the good news. Unlike their power play, the Senators penalty-killing unit has actually been rather reliable this season. They have a penalty kill percentage of 82.5 – good enough for 13th in the league.

Their goaltending has also not been the worst. The team has a combined save percentage of .906 spread across three goaltenders. To be fair, this team’s biggest problem has been their offense and their lack of scoring.

With that said, the team does allow too many shots against. They allow an average of 32.7 shots per game and they allow an average of just over three goals against per game.

They also take too many penalties. Their penalty kill is good, but not that good. This will catch up with them against Edmonton, who has the best power play in the league.

Goaltending

Goaltender Craig Anderson wasn’t on the IR list long as he expected to start the game against Edmonton Wednesday night. Anderson is 8-4-0 this season with a save percentage of .904 and a 2.96 goals-against average.

Head Coach: Dave Tippett{All-Time 570-422-28-123 EDM, ARI, PHX, DAL}

The Oilers, equipped with Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the league’s best power play, welcome the Senators to their home arena where they are 7-3-2 this season.

Offense

As it stands, captain Connor McDavid and linemate Leon Draisaitl have combined for 37 goals and 101 points this season. That is simply unbelievable.

Many of these points have been accumulated on the power play. The Edmonton Oilers currently have the league’s best-ranked power play that boasts a 32.5 percent success rate and 26 combined goals.

Edmonton sits within the league’s top-ten, at eighth, when it comes to total goals scored this season. The team has combined for a total of 89 – more than half of which have been scored by two players.

A notable weakness for the Oilers is their lack of shots. The team averages less than 30 shots per game. However, they manage to make the shots they take count as they have still managed to maintain a shooting percentage of 10.6 percent – the sixth-best in the NHL.

Defense

The Oilers will be without defenseman Kris Russell but it shouldn’t hinder the team too much as they face a team that struggles to score even against lower-ranked opponents.

Like their power play, Edmonton’s penalty killing is also elite, as they rank second in the NHL with a kill rate of 87.1 percent. They also average fewer penalty minutes per game than the Senators.

Strangely enough, despite the standings and statistics, these two teams have allowed exactly 83 goals against this season. But Edmonton sits just outside the top-ten with a team save percentage of .910.

Goaltending

Expect to see goalie Mike Smith between the pipes for the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday. Smith has a season record of 7-7-1. He has a goals-against-average of 2.83, a save percentage of .907, and one shutout this season.

Edmonton and Ottawa last faced off late last season on March 23. It was actually the Senators that came out victorious, defeating the Oilers with a final score of 4-3.

What’s at Stake?

Not too much here. These teams are far apart in the standings and not even in the same conference. This is a chance for Edmonton to gain two more points and continue climbing the rankings – keeping them competitive with teams like Boston and Washington. For Ottawa, it’s simply an opportunity to snap the four-game losing streak they are on. It would be a confidence-building win.

How much will the home-ice advantage play a roll? Ottawa has struggled to win on the road this season and Edmonton has been strong when at home. Is this game over before it even starts?

What kind of performance can we expect out of veteran goaltender Craig Anderson, who has struggled for much of the season and has been on Ottawa’s IR list for much of last week?

Can the Senators take advantage of a weakened Edmonton roster as they are still without Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and now have Zack Kassian out with a back injury and Kris Russell out on a personal absence?

Ottawa Senators Injury Report

F Clarke MacArthur – IR/NR (neck)

F Ryan Callahan – IR/NR (back)

F Marian Gaborik – IR/NR (back)

D Cody Goloubef – DL (undisclosed)

F Scott Sabourin – DL (head)

D Christian Wolanin -IR/NR (shoulder)

Edmonton Oilers Injury Report

F Zack Kassian – day-to-day (back)

D Kris Russell – day-to-day (personal)

F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – DL (hand)

D Ryan Mantha – IR/NR (eye)

D Matt Benning – day-to-day (head)

Ottawa Senators vs Edmonton Oilers – Game Odds

The latest odds for this game are provided by bet365 NJ and DraftKings Sportsbook.

Good luck!

Money Line