Welcome back to another edition NHL Predictions. Each day our writers here at Last Word on Hockey take a look at the games, breaking down the key matchups and providing relevant analysis to how they might play out. Today we feature the Ottawa Senators, as they return home having played last night in New York to take on the Seattle Kraken. Don’t forget to check out all the action, as our writers continue our NHL predictions throughout the 2024-25 season. Also, remember to set your clocks back tonight!
NHL Predictions
Seattle Kraken at Ottawa Senators, from Canadian Tire Centre
Time: 7:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
TV: Sportsnet One, ESPN+
All-Time Regular Season Record with Seattle (3-3)
Ottawa is Home on Saturday Night, After a Friday Night in the ‘City That Never Sleeps’
The Ottawa Senators as a team in 2024-25, are still trying to adjust. Having a goalie of Linus Ullmark‘s calibre between the pipes is a huge advantage. We seen it last night with the New York Rangers, and how well they defend their goaltender Igor Shesterkin. They just need to play that bend don’t break style on defence and be very efficient offensively.
Tonight, the Senators will go with Anton Forsberg between the pipes, on the second half of a back-to-back scenario for Ottawa. Forsberg’s play has not been reason for Sens fans to complain as he is 2-2, with an .895 SV% and one shutout. As a note, please check for the very latest lineup news and notes before locking in your fantasy starter.
The Sens best players are still playing well. Guys like Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, and Drake Batherson have all been playing well lately. Moreover, the nice thing about that is those players are spread out across two lines. They’ve also helped Ottawa be successful on the power play, as they have 12 power play goals on the season. However, they did struggle against Shesterkin and the Rangers last night, going 0-for-5.
Right now, the biggest form of discontinuity for the Senators team structure is their couple of injuries. Being without Artem Zub and Shane Pinto, who are very important aspects of this roster composition, especially when it comes to the defensive side of the puck, has brought its challenges. Pinto’s absence hurts the depth available for the third line. Meanwhile, without Zub in the lineup, head coach Travis Green is forced to play Travis Hamonic important minutes. Despite the impact of these injuries, as long as the Senators focus on, as a man, outplaying their matchup with the Kraken, they should be fine.
The Seattle Kraken Are the Visitors Tonight
Seattle is riding the roller coaster of a Canadian road swing. After beating the Montreal Canadiens 8-2, they then played the Toronto Maple Leafs on Hallowe’en night. This time the tables were turned somewhat, as the Leafs won 4-1. Ottawa and Seattle should provide a good baseline for teams in either conference battling for their respective Wild Card playoff positions.
Joey Daccord was the expected starter as of Saturday morning. Daccord was a draft pick by the Sens originally, way back in 2015. It took him a while, but he finally broke through as a 27-year-old starter last year in Seattle. In addition, he played Thursday night against Toronto, and wants to get back in the win column against the team that drafted him. He’s currently 4-2-1 on the season with a very good .912 SV%.
One player who has been consistent for the Kraken thus far is Jared McCann. Before being held pointless against Toronto, McCann had 12 points over a seven-game point streak. Ottawa will have to provide sustained pressure or the depth on Seattle could find a way to pull this one off.
NHL Predictions: Kraken and Senators
Ottawa just wants to get back on track. They weren’t favoured to beat the Rangers, and after outshooting them 41-18, they did a great job of doing all they could. Look for Ottawa to be at their best as coach Green gets them to bounce back.
Prediction: Ottawa win in regulation, 5-3.
According to Fanduel, if we want to look at adding some extra excitement to the action, check out these picks. The over is at +110, so take that, plus you can take Ottawa on the moneyline for -134. If you are looking for goal scorers, take Shane Wright for the Kraken. He should be fired up to play in Ontario. For the Sens, take Ridly Greig. He’s been playing very competitively and lots of time on the first line. He’s going to breakout, it is just a matter of when.
Main Photo: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
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