The New York Rangers visit the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa this afternoon where they take on the Senators. The Senators haven’t had much luck versus the Rangers over the past few seasons winning just 2 of the last 8 meetings overall and they have also lost the last 4 straight meetings played at home in Ottawa.
Head to Head Trends
Rangers are 4-0 in the last 4 meetings in Ottawa.
Rangers are 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
Ottawa Senators (+130)
The Ottawa Senators are 6th in the Atlantic Division with 50 points 11 points back of the 1st place Florida Panthers. The Senators have hit a bit of a rough stretch over the past month and a half winning just 8 of their last 22 games which is obviously not very good but if you look a little closer 15 of those game were on the road and only 3 of them were against teams under .500 so the Senators probably aren’t playing as bad as it seems.
The Senators have a solid offense averaging 2.71 goals per game but their main problem this season has been their defense allowing 3.08 goals per game. At home the Sens offense is about the same averaging 2.68 goals per game but their defense is much much better allowing just 2.68 goals per game.
Ottawa Senators Trends
Senators are 6-1 in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of less than .400.
Senators are 23-11 in their last 34 after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game.
New York Rangers (-140)
The New York Rangers are 2nd in the Metropolitan Division with 57 points 16 points behind the 1st place Washington Capitals. The Rangers got a off to a great start this season winning 16 of their first 21 games but since then they have really cooled off winning just 10 of 26 games.
The Rangers play well at home where they have a 17-5-2 record but away from home is a totally different story. The Rangers have just a 9-11-3 record on the road this season and it’s not hard to tell why when you look at their numbers. On the road the Rangers are averaging just 2.48 goals per game on offense while allowing 2.96 goals per game on defense for a -0.48 goal differential and if you do the math on that their road record is about where it should be.
New York Rangers Trends
Rangers are 3-11 in their last 14 road games.
Rangers are 1-9 in their last 10 games following a win.
Conclusion
I’m going with the Ottawa Senators over the Rangers in this one. The Rangers haven’t played well for about 2 months now but especially on the road so I think this is a good spot for a nice +130 home dog.
Free Pick: Ottawa Senators +130
