A Saturday night in late March, with the prospects of playoffs unfolding right before our eyes. Welcome back to another edition of NHL Predictions as the Ottawa Senators host the Columbus Blue Jackets. This matchup marks a schedule anomaly. Even though the two teams are technically in a wild card playoff race, Ottawa has recently taken command of its own destiny. However, this is the first meeting of three between the two clubs over a ten-day period. These games will greatly impact the playoff picture. Ottawa leads the wild card race and it was a huge two-points last night for Columbus.
NHL Predictions: Columbus Blue Jackets at the Senators, from the Canadian Tire Centre, in Kanata, Ontario
TV: Citytv, SN1, TVA Sports, ESPN+
7:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
This matchup is a very interesting one, especially given the timing. Luckily, for fans of the Ottawa Senators, it does seem like they are ahead of the curve. Their six-point lead on Columbus is a bit of breathing room. However, given the upcoming schedule, that could turn on a dime. Ottawa really wants these two points on home ice. Meanwhile, Columbus knows the race is going down the wire and it is up to them if they will step up.
Ottawa Needs these Two Points for the Rest of the Stretch Drive
The Ottawa Senators are coming off a one-and-one dads trip. With the stretch drive firmly underway, they need wins. That’s just how games feel this time of year. Moreover, one player that is keenly aware of this fact, is captain Brady Tkachuk.
Since coming back from the 4 Nations break, Brady has been on fire. Over those 13 games, he has eight goals and three assists. Furthermore, if he can bury just one more goal, it will mark four consecutive 30-goal seasons as a Senator. The feat has only been achieved by the snipers Dany Heatley and Marian Hossa.
But it has been beyond his goal scoring. Tkachuk was the first one to step up on Simon Edvinsson of the Detroit Red Wings in the clash on Thursday evening. Edvinsson had gotten into a stick-flexing competition with the much smaller (and skilled) Tim Stutzle. Of course, Brady was quick to step in and go toe-to-toe with him. Continuing to do what they’ve been doing all season, Brady, Stutzle, and the rest of the Sens talented forward group will look to step up and march this team to the playoffs.
Linus Ullmark is the expected netminder on these NHL Predictions. Look for him to shut it down between the pipes as he has been doing through the stretch drive. He has found a way to win tight games this season for the Senators. In addition, his 20-13-3 record and three shutouts more than shows how he tips the scales. This is despite not flashy numbers, with a 2.78 GAA and a .908 SV%. Ottawa, as a team, is only middle of the pack, 13th, with a goals-against per game. This aligns with their sub-par penalty kill of 77.3%, good for 19th. That’s why they need to rely on their stars to some degree, or even a key depth contributor getting it done, to prevail in those tightly-contested games.
What About Columbus
One reason you know this year’s Columbus Blue Jackets team is different is from last night’s game. Besides the 6-6 tie, that went to shootout, look at the three studs Columbus had shooting for them. Kent Johnson (who netted the winner), Adam Fantilli, and Kirill Marchenko, they are as good of up-and-comers as there is around the league. They are the reason why this Columbus team can be more than competitive on any given night.
It’s hard to believe that the Blue Jackets best player only had one assist in the team scoring six. Zach Werenski has been on another planet this year in Columbus. He keeps motoring along at a point-per-game to lead his team in scoring. The defender from Michigan plays over 27 minutes a night. The Sens need to insure that he is held in check and that they don’t free someone else up for him to find and add to his season total of 50 assists thus far.
It is almost certain that Daniil Tarasov will go in this one, as Elvis Merzlikins allowed all six goals last evening. Moreover, Tarasov’s season has been shaky at times, sporting a 3.51 GAA and an .882 SV%. On the flip side, he is 7-8-2, showing that he is a winner and knows how to make big saves when it is needed.
NHL Predictions Sens and Blue Jackets
On February 1st, the Sens were actually third in the Atlantic Division and Columbus led the wild card positioning. That trend is actually somewhat relevant now in terms of the teams duking it out. It remains very competitive for the final playoff spot. Perhaps the fact the Sens have a little breathing room, and can play a better looser it will work in their favour. This will allow their skilled offensive players to focus on generating rhythm and offence. Look for their attack to be too much for Columbus to contain.
Final Score: 3 – 1 Sens
For a little betting fun, Ottawa is +114 to cover the spread, based on our score, do it. If we throw in anytime scorers Brady and Fantilli, we get a three-leg parlay paying out more than +2K.
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Main Photo Credit: Marc DesRosiers – Imagn Images
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