The Ducks Vs Senators meet in Ottawa with puck drop scheduled for 1 p. m. ET, as Anaheim continues a northern road trip and Ottawa looks to respond after a recent loss at home.
Game preview: lineups, injuries and recent form
Anaheim arrives off a northern road trip that included a 4-1 win over Winnipeg and a 6-4 loss to Toronto. Ottawa is coming off a 3-2 loss to Montreal that opened a three-game homestand.
Ottawa will be without Jake Sanderson (week-to-week) and Nick Jensen (day-to-day). Dennis Gilbert will be inserted into the Senators’ lineup and skated alongside Nikolas Matinpalo at practice. Head coach Travis Green described the Ducks as “a very offensive group, lot of skill throughout their lineup, very mobile back end, ” and added that “their goalies have played well, there’s a reason they’re where they’re at in the standings. ” On Gilbert, Green called him a “veteran guy” who understands the defensive side and said he is looking for him to “play a hard and heavy game. Take away time and space against a very offensive team. “
The Senators enter the game with a 32-23-9 record after 64 games and the same point percentage (. 570) as they had at this point last season. Since January 28, the club has posted a 2. 15 goals-against average, the best mark in the NHL in that span.
Ducks Vs Senators Betting Outlook
Puck drop is set for 1 p. m. ET, and several player and market trends are highlighted. One suggested player wager is on the Senators’ captain to exceed 3. 5 shots, with an average of 3. 88 shots per game and recent streaks of high-shot totals. He also averages significant power-play time while Anaheim averages 9. 9 penalty minutes per game.
Market lines noted include a puck line of Ducks +1. 5 and Senators -1. 5, with an Over/Under placed at 6. 5 goals. Individual shot metrics were cited for the Senators’ captain at home and for teammates who have pushed shot totals in recent outings. The Senators have covered the puck line in nine of their last 13 games in the span referenced.
Context and stakes: rivalry trends and schedule notes
Ottawa has won the two prior meetings this season, prevailing 3-2 in Anaheim and 5-1 in their last visit to the Canadian Tire Centre, with Drake Batherson scoring the winning goal in both contests. A victory in this matinee would give the Senators their first three-game winning streak against Anaheim since a stretch between early February 2018 and February 2019.
This matinee is one of four 1 p. m. ET starts Ottawa has down the stretch of the regular season. The Senators will also play 1 p. m. ET games later in the schedule on March 28, April 4 and April 11. The immediate focus for both clubs will be the matchup at hand and how lineup availability and special-teams play shape the result.
