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New Jersey Devils vs Ottawa Senators Preview
The New Jersey Devils and Ottawa Senators meet on Saturday at 7:00 PM ET. The Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa hosts the contest, with New Jersey on the road for the second time this month. Neither team will play in the NHL 2024 playoffs, but the Senators have been the better side recently.
The Devils have lost their last three games, with defeats against the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Buffalo Sabres. New Jersey’s most recent win came against the Toronto Maple Leafs last month. Ottawa has won two out of their last four contests but lost their latest game by six points against the Florida Panthers. Can New Jersey end their losing streak, or will Ottawa notch another victory this weekend?
New Jersey Devils vs Ottawa Senators Head-to-Head and Key Stats
The Ottawa Senators have faced the New Jersey Devils twice this season. Each side has notched a win and both games had at least seven points. In their most recent contest, Ottawa walked away victorious. But the Canadian side overcame adversity during the game.
The first period went as planned for the Senators, with Mathieu Joseph intercepting a pass in the neutral zone shooting the puck home to open the scoring. Joseph scored the only goal of the opening period. However, the second had plenty of action for New Jersey fans. Jesper Bratt got the Devil’s opener, with a sloppy pass from Shane Pinto gifting Bratt an equalizer. Thirty seconds later, Tomas Nosek gave his side the lead when doubling the Devils’ points. The Senators got themselves back into the game via Ridly Greig, who showed incredible patience in front of the goalie when poking the puck home. Once they equalized, the Senators took control of the contest. Angus Crookshank got his second goal of the season and restored Ottawa’s lead. With 10 minutes left in the second, Thomas Chabot doubled their advantage during a four-on-four situation.
The Devils were soulless in the last period and had no response to the Senators’ comeback. Ottawa notched one more goal in the final stages via Drake Batherson. Another sloppy pass from New Jersey fell to Batherson in the offensive zone. He backhanded the puck past Jake Allen to score his 24th goal this season. Ottawa left New Jersey with a 5-2 victory, with the Devils collapsing in the latter stages of the contest.
The first game between the two sides took place in December. Ottawa started the contest better, scoring the opener in the first period via Drake Batherson. However, New Jersey rallied the troops and got back into the game. Luke Hughes assisted his brother Jack to level the points three minutes after conceding. With under ten seconds left on the clock in the first, Jesper Bratt got the go-ahead goal for the Devils. Dawson Mercer increased New Jersey’s lead eight minutes into the second period. Ottawa had no answer and conceded again via Tyler Toffoli. A clever play from Brendan Smith gave New Jersey a three-point margin in the third period. Jacob Bernard-Docker got one back for the Senators, but Luke Hughes killed the game in the final stages. The Devils walked away with a 6-2 win in enemy territory.
The New Jersey Devils and Ottawa Senators have similar strengths when looking at the team statistics. Ottawa scores, on average, 3.13 goals per game and concedes 3.49. The Devils notch 3.28 points per game but allow slightly fewer goals than the Senators with 3.43. However, New Jersey has the better special team, killing 81.0% of penalties and converting 22.1% of their power plays. That’s alarming news for the Senators, as Ottawa has the third-worst penalty-kill percentage in the NHL. The Senators kill 73.9% of power plays, with only the Anaheim Ducks and New York Islanders performing worse.
New Jersey Devils vs Ottawa Senators Predictions
Correct Score Prediction: Ottawa Senators 4-3 win over New Jersey Devils
When the Ottawa Senators and New Jersey Devils meet this weekend, the winner can only claim bragging rights, as neither side can make the playoffs. However, we still expect plenty of points and predict the Senators will beat New Jersey by a one-goal margin. We don’t believe the game will stretch into a fourth period.
The sides have already faced each other twice this season. Both contests had at least seven goals and we predict their last game of the series will also notch seven points. Our correct score prediction is an Ottawa 4-3 win over the Devils. Their first game in December posted the most goals, with eight over three periods. All of New Jersey’s previous four games had over 6.5 points scored. Even though the Senators haven’t produced many goals in their recent contests, that trend will end this week.
Player picks are one of the most exciting ways to bet on the NHL, and there are plenty of skaters to choose from in this game. Tim Stutzle is Ottawa’s leading points scorer, with 70 points (18G, 52A) this season. Stutzle hasn’t scored since facing the Edmonton Oilers in March, but the forward often gets assists. We predict he’ll get over 0.5 points in this contest. Jesper Bratt is on a streak for the New Jersey Devils, and we believe he’s a great bet this weekend. Bratt has eight points (2G, 6A) in his last five games, leading the way with 76 points (25G, 51A) for New Jersey. The forward is on fire in the NHL, and we predict he’ll get over 0.5 points against the Senators.
Across their last two games in the series, New Jersey and Ottawa notched 44 penalty minutes. The most recent contest had 28 minutes, but we don’t predict Saturday’s game will be as intense. We expect under 20 penalty minutes this weekend. A quiet contest will suit Ottawa, as the Devils have an excellent special team. We predict neither side will score during a power play.
Bo Byram interference on Crookshank. #LetsGoBuffalo #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/Gv0GZKDB3C
— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) March 27, 2024
New Jersey Devils vs Ottawa Senators Betting Picks
The New Jersey Devils vs Ottawa Senators will have many opportunities to land a winning wager. However, this will be a close contest, so keep your stakes low. When looking at the moneyline, we suggest betting on the Senators. New Jersey is an inconsistent team, and we don’t believe they’ll replicate their win over Ottawa in December.
In their first meeting, the Devils won every period against the Senators. However, in their latest battle, Ottawa didn’t lose a period. The period winner is tough to predict before the game, but using our live betting features during the contest will help. Waiting until the puck has dropped lets us analyze which team is better. We suggest monitoring the second period because it was the most active in their previous meetings.
The Ottawa Senators opened the scoring in both of their games against New Jersey. Novibet’s sportsbook lets us wager on the first team to score when betting on the NHL. We predict the Senators will score the opener in the first period. Brady Tkachuk is Ottawa’s highest goalscorer, so monitor him at the start of the contest if you’re looking for extra player picks.
Combining two individual markets into one wager is a fantastic way to increase your odds when betting on hockey events. The total goals and match result market is a perfect example of this strategy. The bets come with increased risk, so it’s best to use welcome bonus funds on this wager. Betting on Ottawa to win and over 6.5 points is an excellent wager on Saturday. While this bet is riskier than a simple moneyline pick, it carries fewer hazards than betting on the correct score market.
New Jersey Devils Team News
Nolan Foote has an undisclosed injury and remains questionable for the New Jersey Devils. The forward has played only four games this season, and none of these appearances were in the NHL. Foote notched four points (3G, 1A) for the Utica Comets in the American Hockey League but remains sidelined until further notice. Defenseman Santeri Hatakka will also spend time with the Comets. The Devils reassigned Hatakka to the AHL side. He’s played 12 NHL contests this season but spent most of the campaign in the AHL. Hatakka has 18 points (5G, 13A) in 42 games for Utica.
NEWS: Santeri Hatakka is coming back to Utica! Additionally, Jackson van de Leest has been released from his PTO and will return to @ECHLThunder.
Transactions brought to you by @NBT_Bank. pic.twitter.com/Zu6VbtQlnb
— Utica Comets (@UticaComets) April 1, 2024
New Jersey signed an NCAA prospect this week. Dylan Wendt inked a two-year entry-level contract with the Devils, but they’ve assigned him to the Utica Comets. The Comets have Wendt on an Amateur Tryout (ATO) until the end of the season. New Jersey signed the forward from Western Michigan University, where he notched 44 points (23G, 21A) this season.
Ottawa Senators Team News
The Ottawa Senators have two injury concerns this weekend. Thomas Chabot suffered a lower-body injury and could miss the New Jersey Devils contest. Chabot has already missed several games. The defenseman notched 28 points (8G, 20A) this season and is an alternate captain in Ottawa.
Angus Crookshank could also be absent. Crookshank was on the receiving end of a big hit while playing against the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL. The league fined Bowen Byran $5,000 for the interference, but Crookshank’s condition remains questionable ahead of Saturday’s contest. The forward has 46 points (24G, 22A) for the Belleville Senators in the AHL, so it’s also a significant loss for the lower-league side. Jiri Smejkal replaced Crookshank against the Florida Panthers.
