The Ottawa Senators (21-23-3) are on the road to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs (30-11-8) at Scotiabank Arena on Friday. Ottawa is coming off a 2-1 win over the Islanders on Wednesday. The Senators committed four penalties in the game, though they held New York without a power play goal.
Claude Giroux and Shane Pinto both scored once for the Senators. Giroux added an assist to share the scoring lead with Jake Sanderson, who had two assists. Cam Talbot had a great performance with 14 saves to earn his first shutout of the season.
Toronto beat the Rangers 3-2 (OT) on Wednesday. Timothy Liljegren, Pontus Holmberg, and Mitchell Marner each scored once for the Maple Leafs. Liljegren added an assist to lead the team in scoring. Ilya Samsonov saved 27 of 29 shots in the win (.931%).
HEAD TO HEAD
The Maple Leafs won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 3-2 victory in October, their fourth straight win against Ottawa. Justin Holl, William Nylander, and David Kampf were on the scoresheet for Toronto. Giroux led Ottawa with two points (1G 1A). Samsonov got the win, saving 26 of 28 shots (.928%).
FACING OFF
Ottawa is averaging 2.85 goals per game for the season, 25th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Maple Leafs team that is allowing only 2.61 goals a game (4th).
Meanwhile, Toronto has found the net 3.39 times a game on average, ninth in the league, and the Senators are allowing opponents to score 3.26 goals per game (20th).
Ottawa averages more shots/game (33.6) than most teams in the league, ranking fifth, though the team’s 8.5% shooting percentage is 31st. Toronto’s average of 31.9 attempts ranks 16th.
The Senators’ 26.55% power play percentage is the fourth-best in the league, while the Maple Leafs rank ninth with a conversion rate of 24.20%.
When it comes to defending power plays, Ottawa has the league’s seventh-ranked PK% at 81.71%, while Toronto is 15th at 80.00%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stuetzle have been the top skaters for the Senators this season with 47 and 43 points. In the net, Talbot (11-13-1) is Ottawa’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 2.95 GAA and a .903% save percentage.
Nylander and Marner lead the Maple Leafs in scoring with 57 points apiece. Nylander has 26 goals and 31 assists in 49 games, while Marner has 18 goals and 39 assists (6th) in 49 games.
Auston Matthews has 25 goals and 28 assists. Samsonov (15-4-2) has the best goals against average for Toronto at 2.21, second-best in the league. He has a save percentage of .920%.
HOME AND AWAY
Ottawa is seeking to reverse a three-game losing skid away from home this season. Toronto is 19-3-4 at Scotiabank Arena this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Toronto Maple Leafs -1.5 (+105)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
