Sens Deemed Underdog in Game 2 Despite Their Performance in the Opener

Continuing to prove everyone wrong, the Ottawa Senators came away with victory in Game 1 of their second-round series with the New York Rangers and after their performance that saw them out-shoot, out-possess, and out-score their opponents, you’d think they’d be home favorites, right? Wrong. At the time of writing, the Sens were the minus-money underdog and most of the action was coming in on the Blueshirts. When will everybody learn their lesson?

SHARK BITES
  • The Senators are 5-1 straight up as a moneyline underdog in the 2017 NHL playoffs.
  • The Rangers and Senators have a combined 3-8-3 OVER/UNDER record in the playoffs.
  • Craig Anderson has a .954 5-on-5 save percentage this postseason.

I’m starting to feel like I’m in an episode of the Twilight Zone. I just keep shouting that the Senators are a bonafide hockey team and no one hears me. If you watched Game 1, you know exactly how good Craig Anderson and Erik Karlsson are and that if Henrik Lundqvist wasn’t doing back flips all night in the Rangers’ goal, Ottawa would won in a rout.

Ottawa attempted a total of 38 shots with their captain on the ice Thursday night, compared to the 28 by the Rangers, and it’s become clear that when he steps over the boards, the Sens’ chances of scoring go up immeasurably. He may have just gotten his first goal of the playoffs in the last contest but it was seventh point overall and I expect that number to climb as the Sens find new ways to score on a Rangers’ blueline that’s not the best in the business.

All that said, the Rangers showed in Game 1 why they were the best road team in hockey in the regular season, battling hard at the Canadian Tire Centre, but their best efforts were not enough. Ottawa is the better team so if the odds don’t change drastically in favor of them before puck drop – you know what you have to do.

Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick

Betting fans looking to back the visiting New York Rangers before puck drop in this match found them as -105 moneyline at Sportsbook. They saw an Sportsbook total of 5, according to Sportsbook.

A 3.3-2.4 result in favor of the Senators is the prediction by the Odds Shark handicapping pick engine. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming NHL matchups here.

New York Rangers vs Ottawa Senators Matchup

Team Betting Records & Power Rankings

49-29-11 Ottawa battles the Rangers, currently with a 52-30-7 mark. The OVER/UNDER records, important for totals bettors, are 34-50-5 for the Senators and 41-41-7 for the Rangers. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Ottawa vs New York injuries news.

The Rangers - Senators odds would favor the Rangers if the lines were set according to our power ranks. Ottawa is rated No. 18 in the current Odds Shark poll, while New York is at No. 12.

Statistical Matchup

Offensively, the game matches up the Ottawa Senators No. 22-ranked offense (2.57 goals per game) against a New York Rangers defense that ranks No. 12 at 2.62 goals per game allowed. The Senators Sportsbook has clicked at a 17.44% rate while the Rangers have a 80.24% rate on the penalty kill.

Recent Outings Betting Recap

The Rangers were a 2-1 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Senators. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Ottawa at -105 on the moneyline, while the total score (3) was good news for OVER bettors.

Betting Trends
  • NY Rangers is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
  • The total has gone UNDER in 4 of NY Rangers's last 5 games
  • NY Rangers is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
  • NY Rangers is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games on the road
  • Ottawa is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
  • Ottawa is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
  • Ottawa is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games at home
  • Ottawa is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games at home

Next Betting Matchups

New York home to Ottawa, Tuesday, May 2nd

The Senators are 5-1 straight up as a moneyline underdog in the 2017 NHL playoffs.home The Rangers and Senators have a combined 3-8-3 OVER/UNDER record in the playoffs.away Craig Anderson has a .954 5-on-5 save percentage this postseason.home
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