New Jersey Devils vs Ottawa Senators: Game preview, predictions and odds | October 17, 2024

Thursday's Eastern Conference matchup between the New Jersey Devils and the Ottawa Senators will be interesting. The Senators look to build on Monday's overtime win against the Los Angeles Kings. Meanwhile, the Devils look to bounce back from Tuesday's loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Senators are fifth in the Atlantic Division with a 2-1-0 record and four points. Meanwhile, the Devils have been on a role to start this season. Their 4-2-0 record sees them sitting atop the Metropolitan Division with eight points.

Both teams had a disappointing 2023-24 campaign. The Devils finished second last in the Metropolitan Division, while the Senators finished second last in the Atlantic Division. Both have high hopes for this year.

Thursday's game is set for 4 p.m. PT (7 p.m. ET). Both teams are dealing with injuries. Devils defenceman Luke Hughes sustained a shoulder injury during training camp. He could recover in six weeks.

Also, Santeri Hatakka is recovering from a shoulder injury, while Brett Pesce is on IR and recovering from a fractured fibula sustained during last year's playoffs.

The Senators have Matthew Highmore on IR following an upper-body injury sustained in the preseason. Ridley Greig is out for the next two weeks with an upper-body injury.

In addition, Artem Zub is out for the next week with a concussion, while Linus Ullmark is day-to-day with an unspecified strain.

New Jersey Devils vs Ottawa Senators odds

Heading into Thursday's game, the New Jersey Devils are sitting as slight favorites to win on FanDuel with -142 odds. On the flip side, the Ottawa Senators are +118 underdogs.

These odds are consistent across major US sportsbooks such as DraftKings, where the New Jersey Devils are -142 favorites and the Ottawa Senators +120 underdogs.

To simplify these odds using the DraftKings betting line as an example, a $142 bet on New Jersey as the favorites would win $100, while a $100 bet on Ottawa as the underdogs would win $120.

New Jersey Devils vs Ottawa Senators prediction

Ahead of Thursday's game in Ottawa, Sens coach Travis Green announced Linus Ullmark is listed as day-to-day, and Anton Forsberg will be in the net. Given Ullmark's absence and New Jersey's hot start this season, we predict the Devils will bounce back from their loss to Carolina earlier in the week and secure the win on the road in Thursday's contest.