The New York Islanders (35-22-8) face the Ottawa Senators (23-32-12) Thursday at Canadian Tire Centre as Jean-Gabriel Pageau returns to Canada’s capital city for the first time since being dealt at the trade deadline. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. We analyze the Islanders-Senators sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.
Islanders at Senators: Projected starting goalies
Semyon Varlamov vs. Craig Anderson
Varlamov has struggled of late with 10 goals allowed on 72 shots across his last three appearances. He has slipped to 19-13-5 with a .916 save percentage and 2.56 goals against average through 37 starts and six relief appearances.
Anderson has dropped three starts in a row, including Tuesday’s road game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in which he was torched for seven goals on 35 shots. The veteran is 9-16-2 with a .897 SV% and 3.35 GAA through 28 starts and three relief appearances as he seemingly wraps up his career.
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Islanders at Senators: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list.
Odds last updated at 10:23 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Islanders 6, Sens 1
Moneyline (ML)
The Senators (+135) are soon to be the second or third team to be officially eliminated from playoff contention, while the ISLANDERS (-162) hold an Eastern Conference wild-card spot. The Isles have lost four in a row, including losing two in a row at home by margins of four goals. The Sens will be the perfect remedy, especially with a spirited effort from Pageau on tap. Back the visitors to win outright.
New York leads the season series 2-0 with wins by counts of 4-2 and 4-1 in the fall.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Islanders to win in regulation, overtime or a shootout returns a profit of $6.20.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
The ISLANDERS (-1.5, +170) should also be backed to win by at least 2 goals on the puck line with greater profit potential. New York is 17-14 ATS on the road, while Ottawa is 19-17 ATS at home. The Sens took a 7-3 loss against the Penguins Tuesday, and while the Isles are stuck in a poor 2-6-2 stretch, their last five wins were all by margins of 2 or more goals. There’s no reason to believe in a Sens team headed to the draft lottery.
Over/Under (O/U)
OVER 5.5 (-125) is the only way to go Thursday. Both goalies have been struggling and the Islanders could very well take care of the 6-goal total on their own. The Islanders are just 2-8 against the Over/Under across their last 10 games, but that’s largely been due to offensive struggles. They’ll pick up the slack against Anderson and the Sens, as they try to retain their playoff positioning.
Esten’s NHL betting record: 269-249
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