The Olympic break arguably came at a bad time for the Ottawa Senators, who were just getting hot, having won five of their last six games.
Despite the hot streak, the Sens head into the break six points back of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and nine points outside of a divisional spot in the Atlantic.
Linus Ullmark finally returned from his month-long leave of absence on Jan. 31 and posted two wins in his first two games back in the Senators crease. That bodes well for Ottawa, which has been plagued by the NHL’s worst team save percentage (.873) this season.
Senators Odds to Win the Stanley Cup
The Senators’ Stanley Cup odds jumped from +10000 to +8000 since the last update, thanks to their recent hot streak.
Ottawa owns the fourth-shortest odds among all Canadian teams behind the Edmonton Oilers (+1100), Montreal Canadiens (+3000), and Toronto Maple Leafs (+6600).
Ottawa Senators Predictions
The Senators still have a 40% chance of qualifying for the postseason according to MoneyPuck, but they’re right in the middle of a congested Eastern Conference wild-card race that features six teams separated by seven points.
If the Sens are going to make the playoffs, they’ll need to beat the other teams in the race, and that starts immediately after the Olympic break with games against the Detroit Red Wings and Maple Leafs.
I predict that those two games will tell us a lot about Ottawa’s playoff chances. If they win both, they’ll be in a much better position.
Ottawa Senators Eastern Conference Odds
Ottawa’s Eastern Conference hockey odds also improved this past week, jumping from +3500 to +3000. The Senators have the 11th-shortest odds to win the East and reach the Stanley Cup Final, something the franchise has not achieved since 2007.
The Tampa Bay Lightning (+210) and Carolina Hurricanes (+260) are the betting favourites to win the East, according to the BetMGM online sportsbook.
Ottawa Senators Atlantic Division Odds
The Senators are 15 points back of the division-leading Lightning, which is reflected by their +50000 Atlantic Division odds. Ottawa has the longest odds to win the Atlantic, tied with the Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers.
The Lightning (-1428) are the massive betting favourites, while the Canadiens (+2000) and Buffalo Sabres (+3500) round out the top three.
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