The Ottawa Senators and Tampa Bay Lightning are heading in opposite directions: the Ottawa Senators have lost their last two games, while the Lightning have won their previous two matchups. Continue reading below to get our best Senators vs Lightning Score Prediction and much more.
Yet, taking a wider view, Ottawa has won three of their previous five games, while Tampa Bay has won four of their last five outings.
Teams like the Senators spent the off-season rebuilding their teams, attempting to conquer three-time reigning Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning, an annual contender for another Stanley Cup run.
Senators’ New-look Against Lightning
This is the new-look Ottawa Senators getting their first crack at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night.
We’ll review both teams’ seasons so far, the stats, and the odds before dropping our Senators vs Lightning score prediction.
Senators vs. Lightning Odds Breakdown
The Senators odds on the moneyline are higher than anticipated for this Senators vs Lightning betting prediction.
The Ottawa Senators are the betting underdog, with odds ranging from +165 to +175, which seems high for a game likely to be competitive and close. The Tampa Bay Lightning are the betting favorite, listed from -200 to -205.
Puckline
As of publication, the Ottawa Senators are listed at +1.5, and the puck line spread favorite, with odds sitting between -145 to -165.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are listed at -1.5, and the puck line spread underdog, with odds from +120 and +135.
Total
The total goals line we’re looking at for these NHL teams is 6.5 on most online sportsbooks, although you can find a variety of total goals lines with various odds to explore.
However, most NHL games settle around 6 to 6.5, where you’ll find the best odds.
The over and under in our Senators vs Lightning score prediction is listed at fairly even odds. The over on the total goal line of 6.5 is listed, with odds ranging from -105 to -110.
Under
The under for this Senators vs Lightning matchup is listed with odds ranging from -110 to -118. For this Senators vs Lightning score prediction, you’ll also need to consider each team’s betting records.
The Ottawa Senators are 4-4 on the moneyline and the over/under, while they’re 5-3 against the spread.
On the other hand, the Tampa Bay Lightning are 5-4 on the moneyline and 4-5 on over/under and against the spread.
Ottawa Senators vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Betting Preview
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators have a 4-4-0 record, losing their last two games after a string of wins. In their last outing, the Ottawa Senators lost 5-3 to the Florida Panthers.
The Senators fought back to tie the game twice before ultimately falling 5-3. Brady Tkachuk and Shane Pinto each scored for the Senators.
One-goalie Show
So far in 2022-23, the Ottawa Senators have been a one-goalie show. Anton Forsberg has played almost every game this season.
In playing almost every game this season, Forsberg has earned a 3-4-0 record, with a 3.04 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage.
Backup goalie Magnus Hellberg will get more starts throughout the season, but when is hard to determine, considering there is no Senators goalie rotation to speak of.
Hellberg has only played one game and has a 1-0-0 record, with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage in 2022-23.
NHL Player Stats Leaders
While many of the players and points leaders mentioned in our Senators vs Lightning score prediction, you’d expect to be among the NHL player stats leaders, they are not near the top of that list currently but are surely in the top tier of scorers.
Ottawa’s Points Leaders
Brady Tkachuk (six goals, five assists) and Drake Batherson (three goals, eight assists) share Ottawa’s points lead at eleven points for the rebuilt Senators.
Among the potential prop bet targets are Alex DeBrincat, who has eight points (two goals, six assists), and Tyler Motte, who has seven points (two goals, five assists) for the Senators.
So far, in 2022-23, the Senators have averaged 3.75 goals per NHL game. Ottawa is averaging 3.38 goals against per game. Ottawa’s power play is operating at 25.9%. The Senators’ penalty kill is operating at 75.9%.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning enter Tuesday’s NHL schedule with a 5-4-0 record. Tampa Bay is starting to resemble the team that has appeared in the last three Stanley Cup finals, winning two of them.
After a difficult start, the Lightning standings rankings suggest they are an average team, but Tampa Bay has won four of their last five games.
In their previous outing, Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman each scored a goal, Brandon Hagel and Brayden Point had two assists, while Andrei Vasilevskiy made 24 saves in the win.
The same names that have led the Tampa Bay Lightning to continued years of success are the same names at the top of Lightning NHL stats leaders.
Lightnings Points Leaders
The Lightnings points leaders, and the primary prop bet targets for Tampa Bay, are Nikita Kucherov, who leads the team with twelve points (three goals, nine assists).
Tampa Bay superstars Steven Stamkos(seven goals, two assists), Brayden Point (four goals, four assists), and Victor Hedman (one goal, seven assists) each have eight points for the Lightning.
NHL teams do not want to see Lightning starting goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy in net if they can help it.
Lightning’s Goaltending Rotation
After reviewing the Lightning’s goaltending rotation, we think Tampa Bay will follow their pattern and will likely start Vasilevskiy against the Senators on Tuesday night.
Vasilevskiy has a 3-3-0 NHL record, with a 2.87 goals against average and a .910 save percentage. If Lightning backup Brian Elliot does get the start, his record to 2-1-0, with a 3.35 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage.
NHL Injury Report
The Tampa Bay Lightning have the only impact player on the NHL injury report. Anthony Cirelli is on the injured reserve, hurting the Lightning’s depth at center.
For our Senators vs Lightning score predictions, NHL team stats are very important. The Tampa Bay Lightning have averaged 3.11 goals per NHL game while averaging the same 3.11 goals per game so far this season.
Lightning’s power play is operating at 23.5%, while the penalty kill is operating at 80.6%.
Ottawa Senators vs. Tampa Bay Lightning Pick and Prediction
We might think that the moneyline odds for the Tampa Bay Lightning are high, but that is not deterring us from selecting the Lightning to win this game.
Ottawa can win this game and have vastly improved their roster since last year, yet they will likely come up short against the defending Eastern Conference champions.
We favor Andrei Vasilevskiy over most goalies in the league and will take the Lightning on the moneyline to win, despite the higher-than-expected odds.
Who to Bet On?
We also think this is a one-goal game that covers the spread with an empty net goal. To get the most value from the Lightning, we’re parlaying Tampa Bay to win on the moneyline with the Lightning to cover the spread.
Although both teams can score and have the offensive talent to turn this game into a shootout on the scoreboard, not necessarily to end a tie game, we like both teams’ starting goalies to keep our Lightning vs. Senators score prediction from hitting the over.
NHL Pick: Lightning (-190)
If you love sports and want more sports betting information follow us as @InsidersBetDig on Twitter and sign up to our mailing list for free betting picks.