The Florida Panthers visit the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night, with puck drop set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Canadian Tire Centre. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Ottawa is a slight -112 Moneyline favorite, while the total is set at O/U 5.5 goals.
Below, I’ll break down the matchup and provide my top Senators vs. Panthers prediction and best bet.
Senators vs. Panthers Odds
| Market | Florida Panthers | Ottawa Senators |
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | -108 | -112 |
| Puck Line | +1.5 (-285) | -1.5 (+230) |
| Total | Over 5.5 (-120) | Under 5.5 (+100) |
Senators vs. Panthers Betting Preview
Florida Panthers Outlook
Florida enters Wednesday night riding a three-game winning streak, in which it has outscored its opponents 18 to 8. In fact, Florida’s 18 goals across the last three games is more than it generated across its first six outings. This is bad news for the rest of the league because when the Panthers are clicking, they are near impossible to beat. Plus, tonight’s matchup is a highly anticipated one, as Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa’s former captain, will make his return to Ottawa for the first time since being traded to Florida in June. Tkachuk posted goose eggs in his first five games wearing Panthers threads, but he has seemed to adjust to his new team, recording two hat tricks across his past three outings. His brother, Matthew Tkachuk, leads the club with 14 points (3G, 11A).
With Jacob Markstrom headed to injured reserve as of yesterday, this leaves Florida’s goaltending situation looking a bit dire. Akira Schmid will likely start between the pipes tonight, and he’s been quite average, with a 3.25 GAA and .878 SV% across four appearances thus far. Still, the Panthers have allowed 2.78 goals against per game, good for the 11th-lowest average in the NHL. Florida has flipped the switch offensively, too, ranking third in 5v5 Corsi% and fifth in 5v5 xGoals%.
Ottawa Senators Outlook
The Senators are noticeably weaker without Tkachuk’s presence; however, this has also led to a strong start for Tim Stutzle, who leads the team with 12 points (5G, 7A) through the club’s first nine outings. The offensive production has flowed through him alone for the most part, as he’s the only player on Ottawa with double-digit points. The club is simply struggling to find offensive consistency so far, ranking 25th in goals for per game and 29th in shots on goal per game. Ottawa also ranks 27th in 5v5 Corsi% and 30th in 5v5 xGoals per 60, suggesting that it is failing to win the puck possession battle and creating high-quality chances.
While the club has had its fair share of offensive struggles, that hasn’t been the case for the defense and goaltending. Linus Ullmark looks like himself again, with a clean 6-1-0 record, 1.33 GAA and .945 SV% across seven starts, and the club is expected to get Jake Sanderson slotted back into the lineup for tonight’s tilt. Ullmark looks truly elite, and the defense in front of him limits high-danger chances. As a team, the Senators have allowed the eighth-fewest goals against per game and 12th-fewest shots on goal against per game. On top of that, Ottawa is tied for the second-fewest 5v5 high-danger chances against and holds the fourth-lowest 5v5 xGoals against average.
Senators vs. Panthers Prediction and Best Bet
It’s hard to fade a Panthers team that has averaged 6.0 goals for per game across its last three outings, even if Ullmark is playing out of his mind. Schmid scares me, for sure, and I’d expect Ottawa’s offense to get going a bit tonight, but I’m still backing the Panthers on the Moneyline to win this one straight up. The Brady Tkachuk revenge game narrative is the top storyline, but it also comes down to the fact that the Senators have had such little production from guys not named Stutzle. Florida has been deep for years at this point, and it won three of four matchups against Ottawa last season.
