The Boston Bruins, third in the Eastern Conference with a 47-19-15 record, host to the 36-41-4 Ottawa Senators, who are 14th, at the TD Garden in Boston on Tuesday at 7 p.m. EDT. Tune in to ESPN, RDS2, NESN and TSN5 for the live action.
Boston suffered a 2-0 road defeat to the Washington Capitals on Monday, while Ottawa faced a 4-0 loss on the road against the New York Rangers on the same day.
Ottawa Senators vs Boston Bruins: Game preview
The Senators average 3.05 goals per game, with a 18.1% success rate on power play opportunities, and allow 3.46 goals per outing.
Brady Tkachuk leads the team with 37 goals and 36 assists. Drake Batherson has contributed 28 goals and 37 assists, while Claude Giroux follows with 21 goals and 43 assists.
Anton Forsberg has a 14-12-0 record in goal, a 3.30 goals-against average and a save percentage of .886.
Meanwhile, the Bruins boast a goals for average (GFA) of 3.23 and a goals against average (GAA) of 2.69. Their power play efficiency is 22.0%.
David Pastrnak is their top scorer this season, with 47 goals and 62 assists, totaling 109 points.
Brad Marchand has contributed 29 goals and 38 assists, while Charlie Coyle has 25 goals and 35 assists. Charlie McAvoy has contributed 35 assists, while Pavel Zacha has 20 goals and 38 assists.
Linus Ullmark holds a record of 22-9-7 between the pipes, with a 2.59 goals against average and a save percentage of .916.
Ottawa Senators vs Boston Bruins: Injury report
The Senators and the Bruins are both dealing with several injuries.
The Senators have Angus Crookshank and Travis Manoic are listed as day-to-day with lower-body injuries, while Mark Kastelic and Tim Stutzle are listed as day-to-day with upper-body injuries.
Josh Norris is sidelined for the season due to an upper-body injury, while Matthew Highmore is also out with a similar injury. Travis Hamonic is questionable with a lower-body injury.
Meanwhile, Justin Brazeau is sidelined due to an upper-body injury, while Milan Lucic is absent for personal reasons. Derek Forbort is out due to an undisclosed issue, while Matthew Poitras has a shoulder injury.
Ottawa Senators vs Boston Bruins: Head-to-head and significant numbers
The two teams have faced off 129 times, combining the regular season and playoffs. The Senators boast an overall record of 56-82-8-9 against the Bruins.
The Bruins have a 49.4% win rate in faceoffs, while the Senators stand at 51.1%. The Senators have a 75.3% success rate on penalty kills, while the Bruins are 82.3%.
Ottawa Senators vs Boston Bruins: Odds and prediction
Boston has won 38 of 66 games as the odds favorite and have gone 12-5 with odds shorter than -222. The team has a 68.9% chance of winning this game.
Meanwhile, the Senators have been labeled as the underdogs in 50 games and have pulled off upsets 20 times. In three games this season, Ottawa has not secured a victory as an underdog with odds of +182 or higher, indicating a 35.5% chance to win this contesf.
Prediction: Bruins 4-3 Senators
Ottawa Senators vs Boston Bruins: Betting tips
Tip 1: Bruins to win
Tip 2: Total goals over 4.5: Yes
Tip 3: David Pastrnak to assist anytime: Yes
Tip 4: Claude Giroux to score first: Yes
Tip 5: Senators to beat the spread: Yesp