Playoff-Bound Panthers Look to Regain Momentum Against Senators
Panthers vs Senators Odds: Florida 25-14 ATS on the Road
Few teams are better suited to make a deep playoff run than the Florida Panthers. The reigning Eastern Conference champions seemingly have it all: elite scoring, hot goaltending, and quality depth.
While the NHL playoffs are often a crapshoot, oddsmakers have already distinguished the Panthers as a favorite to win the Stanley Cup. As the regular season winds down, the Panthers hope to put themselves in the best position possible.
Next up on Thursday (7 p.m. ET) is a matchup with the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre. The Panthers are -1.5 (+150) favorites on the puck line and -166 on the moneyline, with the Senators +1.5 (-180) and +140. Meanwhile, the projected total is 6, with a slight edge to the Over at -115.
What should bettors expect? Read on as we break down both teams and assess the Panthers vs Senators odds in our NHL game preview.
Florida Panthers vs Ottawa Senators 
Location: Canadian Tire Centre; Ottawa, Ontario
Day/Time:
Streaming: NHLPP, ESPN+
Panthers vs Senators Betting Trends
The Ottawa Senators are 37-37 against the puck line, including 20-18 at home. A majority of Ottawa’s games have trended toward the Over, as the Senators are 39-32-3 against the Over/Under. Meanwhile, the Florida Panthers are 36-40 ATS, but 25-14 on the road. As for the Over/Under, the Panthers are 28-44-4.
Be sure to remember these betting trends when assessing the Panthers vs Senators odds.
Better Late Than Never
The Senators have hit their stride of late, winning five of their last six games to improve to 33-37-34. Still, it’s going to be too little, too late for the postseason.
Ottawa (33-37-4, 70 points) remains 12 points behind No. 8 seed Washington with eight regular-season games remaining, meaning its playoff hopes are essentially slim to none.
Ottawa’s five-game win streak was snapped Tuesday in a 3-2 loss to Minnesota. The Senators, +115 underdogs, overcame a 2-0 deficit to tie it in the third, but Vinny Lettieri netted the game-winner with 6:56 remaining.
The Senators are now back home, where they are 20-16-2 OU and 20-18 ATS. The total has gone Over in five of the Senators’ last seven games at Canadian Tire Centre, running their record against the Over/Under to 39-32-3. Keep that in mind when analyzing the Panthers vs Senators odds.
Goaltending has been an issue for the Senators, with Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg combining for a 3.27 goals against average. According to NHL stats, the Senators rank 26th in goals against average (3.46) and dead last in save percentage (.888).
Tim Stutzle is Ottawa’s top scorer with 70 points (18 goals, 52 assists). Meanwhile, Brady Tkachuk has a team-high 33 goals with 33 assists.
Road Warriors
Few NHL teams are more comfortable away from home than the Panthers, whose 25 road wins are tied for the most in the NHL. Additionally, they are 25-14 ATS in those games compared to just 11-26 at home. Certainly, take that into account when analyzing the Panthers vs Senators odds.
With 99 points, Florida (47-24-5) is closing in on a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. What happens from there is uncertain, but oddsmakers are certainly bullish on the Panthers’ ability to return to the Stanley Cup. In fact, the Panthers are +650 co-favorites with Carolina to win the Cup.
The Panthers have struggled lately, with eight losses in their last 10 games. That includes a 5-3 loss to Montreal on Tuesday in which the Panthers were -180 favorites.
Despite its scoring prowess, Florida has separated itself as a strong play against the Under. The Panthers have gone Under the total in 47 of their 76 games, equaling a rate of 61.8%. A big reason for that is Anthony Stolarz, who leads the NHL with 2.12 goals against average and a .923 save percentage. As a team, Florida ranks top three in both categories.
Fueling Florida’s scoring is Sam Reinhart, who is second in the NHL with 52 goals and 11th in points with 87. Reinhart is one of four Panthers with at least 20 goals, joining Carter Verhaeghe (33), Matthew Tkachuk (23) and Aleksander Barkov (22). Meanwhile, defenseman Gustav Forsling has a league-best plus/minus of plus-47.
Handicapping the Game
Florida has already beaten Ottawa twice, 5-0 on Nov. 27 and 3-2 in overtime on Feb. 20. After Thursday, they will play once more, on April 9, before the regular season concludes.
The Panthers were without two of their top scorers in Tuesday’s loss to Montreal: Tkachuk (illness) and Verhaeghe (upper body). Because they have already locked up a playoff spot, the Panthers can afford to play it safe with their most prominent names. It’s important they get healthy to maximize their chances of appearing on the Stanley Cup Finals schedule.
Being on the road likely won’t bother the Panthers, who are 6-1 in their last seven games in Ottawa.
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