Two of the league’s top offenses are set to square off at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday, as the Minnesota Wild (2-3-1) are on the road to take on the Ottawa Senators (4-2-0). Minnesota is coming off a 3-1 win over the Canadiens on Tuesday. The Wild committed five penalties in the game, though they held Montreal without a power play goal.
Joel Eriksson Ek was the top goalscorer for the Wild with two goals. Marc-Andre Fleury saved an impressive 26 of 27 shots (.962%) in the win.Ottawa won their fourth straight game, beating the Stars 4-2 on Monday.
Four players found the net for the Senators. Thomas Chabot and Brady Tkachuk both scored and provided an assist to lead the team in scoring. Magnus Hellberg was impressive in the win, making 29 saves (.935%).
HEAD TO HEAD
The teams split their two meetings last season, the last of which was a 4-3 victory for the Senators in February. Chabot led Ottawa with three points (2G 1A). Kevin Fiala led Minnesota with two points (1G 1A). Anton Forsberg got the win, saving 40 of 43 shots (.930%).
FACING OFF
Minnesota is averaging 3.67 goals per game so far this season, fifth in the NHL, and they are taking on a Senators team that is allowing 3.00 goals a game (12th). Meanwhile, Ottawa has found the net 4.17 times a game on average, second in the league, and will be looking to capitalize on the Wild’s weak defense, which is allowing opponents to score 4.67 goals per game (31st).
Power play opportunities ought to be plentiful for the Senators, as the Wild are averaging 5.67 penalties per game, most in the NHL. The visitors’ 12.33 penalty minutes a game ranks fifth-highest. The home team has been penalized 4.83 times a game (10th) for an average of 11.17 minutes (7th).
The Wild’s 32.00% power play percentage is the fourth-best in the league, while the Senators rank ninth with a conversion rate of 25.00%. In terms of penalty killing, Minnesota has the league’s 17th-ranked PK% at 78.26%, while Ottawa is 21st at 76.19%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 10 points this season, ninth-most in the NHL, Mats Zuccarello is the top skater for the Wild. He is among the league leaders with six assists (10th) and has added four goals of his own. In the net, Fleury (2-1-1) is Minnesota’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 4.30 GAA and a .869% save percentage.
Tkachuk leads the Senators in scoring with 10 points (7th in the league). He has five goals (5th in the league) and five assists in six games. Forsberg (3-2-0) is the top goalie for Ottawa with a goals against average of 2.83. He has a save percentage of .904%.
HOME AND AWAY
Ottawa is undefeated at Canadian Tire Centre this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Minnesota Wild (-125)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
