Ottawa Senators (33-31-5) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (34-25-10)
March 20, 2023 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Pittsburgh Penguins -169 / Ottawa Senators +135; Over/Under: +6.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins meet Monday in NHL action at the PPG Paints Arena. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.
The Ottawa Senators are averaging 3.1 goals per game and are scoring on 23.6 percent of their power play opportunities. Tim Stutzle leads Ottawa with 35 goals, Brady Tkachuk has 41 assists and Alex DeBrincat has 226 shots on goal. Defensively, the Ottawa Senators are allowing 3.3 goals per game and are killing 82.6 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Anton Forsberg has allowed 80 goals on 817 shots faced, and Cam Talbot has given up 83 goals on 874 shots.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are averaging 3.3 goals per game and are scoring on 21.9 percent of their power play opportunities. Jake Guentzel leads Pittsburgh with 30 goals, Sidney Crosby has 54 assists, and Rickard Rakell has 211 shots on goal. Defensively, the Pittsburgh Penguins are allowing 3.2 goals per game and are killing 80.1 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Tristan Jarry has allowed 107 goals on 1,156 shots faced, and Casey DeSmith has given up 95 goals on 1,018 shots.
The Senators are 67-147 in their last 214 road games and 0-5 in their last 5 overall. The Penguins are 7-17 in their last 24 vs. Eastern Conference and 1-5 in their last 6 games playing on 1 days rest. The over is 10-2 in Senators last 12 overall. The under is 4-1 in Penguins last 5 overall. The Senators are 4-23 in the last 27 meetings in Pittsburgh and 2-6 in the last 8 meetings. The favorite is 55-26 in the last 81 meetings. The home team is 36-15 in the last 51 meetings.
The Pittsburgh Penguins continue this weird funk, and they’re not a team I’m thrilled to back in the favorite role, but there’s no doubt they’re the better team, and they need to take advantage of games like this if they’re going to make the playoffs. The Senators are awful on the road, and they never win in Pittsburgh. Kind of a must win for the Penguins and their playoff hopes. I’ll lay the juice with the home team.
