The Ottawa Senators and Winnipeg Jets already meet each other for the third time this season, so here’s the best betting pick for their Saturday’s clash at Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg along with the latest odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Over the previous four days, the Jets beat the Senators twice in Ottawa, 4-3 in overtime at -110 moneyline odds and 4-1 as -120 road favorites. They opened as -137 favorites for Saturday’s game on the home ice, searching for their fifth consecutive win over Ottawa.
The Senators start a seven-game road trip
After a couple of two-game series at home against Toronto and Winnipeg, the Ottawa Senators (1-2-1) hit the road Saturday, hoping to stop a three-game slide. They took 41 shots in that overtime defeat against the Jets, while the Senators fell apart in Thursday’s clash against Winnipeg.
Ottawa trailed 3-0 after just 7:05 of play in the second period. Interestingly, the Jets failed to score on seven power-play opportunities. The Senators went 0-for-3 with the man advantage while recording a whopping 17 giveaways.
Defenseman Nikita Zaitsev leads the way for the Senators with five assists and a plus-5 rating, while LW Brady Tkachuk scored one goal along with a pair of dishes. Matt Murray started between the pipes in each of the first four games, but he’s been pulled out last time after yielding four goals on 26 shots.
The Jets open a seven-game homestand
The Winnipeg Jets (3-1-0) started the new season with a 4-3 overtime win over Calgary at home. They played the previous three games on the road, suffering a 3-1 defeat at Toronto along with those two wins at Ottawa.
The Jets overcame an early two-goal deficit in the opening contest of this series against the Senators. Four different players found the net in each of the previous two matchups with Ottawa, so the Jets already have six guys with two or more goals on their tally.
LW Kyle Connor leads the way with seven points and a plus-3 rating. Center Mark Scheifele scored two goals to go with three assists, while wingers Nikolaj Ehlers and Blake Wheeler added four points each. Connor Hellebuyck is 2-1-0 in three starts, tallying a 2.00 GAA and a .935 save percentage, and Laurent Brossoit had 38 saves in a 4-3 win over the Senators.
[metabet_core_odds_compare query=”nhl/jets” size=”300×250″ site_id=”atsio” css=”float:right; margin-left:10px”]Trends:
Ottawa:
- 1-5 in the last six games overall
- 1-8 in the last nine road contests
Winnipeg:
- 8-4 in the last 12 games overall
- 7-2 in the last nine games at home
- 8-2 in the last ten games against Ottawa
NHL Tips & Prediction
The 2021 NHL season could be a pain in the neck for the sports bettors due to a specific schedule. The Jets and Senators will face off against each other ten times and while Winnipeg is arguably a much better team than Ottawa, it’s hard to expect them to beat the Senators every single time.
Anyway, I suggest you go with the Jets on Saturday. Their offense looks good with plenty of in-form players ready to make plays, while Connor Hellebuyck is a huge force in the crease. Furthermore, despite their good form at the start of the season, the Jets have converted only two of their 20 power-play opportunities, and that will have to change sooner rather than later.
Pick: Take Winnipeg Jets at -137
The Total:
The Senators haven’t impressed with their power-play execution either, going 3-for-18 which is another poor record. I expect to see some drastic improvement by both teams, so betting on the over seems like a logical move.
Five of the last seven encounters between the Senators and Jets went in the over, and six of those seven contests produced six or more goals in total. Winnipeg allows 33.5 shots per game which are the seventh-most in the NHL, so the hosts could yield a few goals even with Hellebuyck between the pipes.
Pick: Go over 6.0 goals at +108