Islanders vs Senators: Prediction, Team News and Canadian Odds

Ottawa was 5-1-0 and cruising until St. Louis put seven past it on Tuesday. The Senators host the Islanders at the Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday 15 October. Our Islanders vs Senators prediction, the team news and the Canadian prices are below.

How to watch

Regional coverage differs from the national listing and blackouts apply in parts of Canada. Our how to watch the NHL in Canada page has the full picture.

Islanders vs Senators odds

Canadian books post NHL prices the night before or the morning of a game, and this one was not on the board when the page was built. The live board is on our NHL odds page, and the daily picks with prices sit on NHL predictions.

Ottawa’s defence is being held together with tape

Seven players are unavailable and most of them are defencemen. Artem Zub, Nikolas Matinpalo and Kurtis MacDermid are all out. Jake Sanderson is day to day. That is a top four reduced to guesswork.

It showed on Tuesday. St. Louis had 26 shots and scored seven. Ottawa managed 17 shots in reply. Samuel Ersson started that game and Linus Ullmark did not dress, which is worth knowing before anyone assumes the Senators simply had an off night in goal.

Strip Tuesday out and the picture is different. Ottawa had conceded twelve goals in its first six games and sat 5-1-0. It has 21 goals for and 19 against across seven, which is a club playing close games and usually winning them.

How they compare

Ottawa finished eight points clear of the Islanders last season with a far better power play. New York had the better penalty kill and conceded less. Those are two very different routes to a similar place.

The Islanders have been streaky and are missing their best forward

New York is 3-3-0. It has shut out New Jersey 6-0, lost 5-2 to the Rangers, beaten Chicago 4-1 and lost 5-3 to Tampa Bay. Tuesday’s 3-2 win over Vancouver was a third win in six.

Mathew Barzal has not played this season. Alexander Romanov is out long term with a knee injury. Kyle Palmieri scored twice against Vancouver, including the winner, and is carrying the load in Barzal’s absence.

The 6-0 win over New Jersey on 3 October is the best thing New York has done. It is also the only time the Islanders have scored more than four. Nineteen goals in six games is modest, and this is a side that wins by keeping the other team under three.

Ottawa has taken the last two, and kept them tight

Ottawa leads the all-time series 72 wins to 51 and has won the last two, including a shutout on Long Island in April. Only one of the three meetings in the past two seasons cleared six goals.

That pattern matters more than the all-time number. These clubs tend to play low events against each other, and both goaltending groups have been the more reliable part of their sides.

Team news

Ottawa is down to its fifth and sixth choices on the right side. Jorian Donovan came in for Matinpalo on Tuesday. If Sanderson and Greig are both out as well, this is a very different team from the one that started 5-1-0. Availability across the league is on our NHL injury report.

Players to watch

Tim Stützle, Ottawa. Four goals already and an assist on Claude Giroux’s consolation against St. Louis. He has been Ottawa’s most consistent player through seven games.

Kyle Palmieri, New York. Two goals against Vancouver including the winner. With Barzal out he is the Islanders’ most reliable finisher.

Matthew Schaefer, New York. Two assists on Tuesday. The young defenceman is getting real minutes with Romanov out.

Score prediction

Ottawa Senators 4-3 New York Islanders. Ottawa is at home and has the better forward group even in this state. The Islanders keep games tight. One goal in it feels right.

Islanders vs Senators prediction

Ottawa should still win this. It is 5-2-0, it is at home, and it has taken the last two meetings including a 3-0 shutout on Long Island in April. Tuesday was one bad night rather than a trend.

The case against is the blue line. Six Ottawa defencemen are out or doubtful, and New York is a side that punishes slow starts. Our lean: Ottawa, and the under if the total sits at 6.5 or higher. These clubs have met three times in the last two seasons and only one of those games cleared six goals. Where both sit against the other 30 is on our NHL power rankings, and the rest of Thursday is on the NHL schedule.

19+ (18+ in AB, MB and QC). Picks are opinion, not advice, and odds change constantly. Availability varies by province. Please play responsibly. ConnexOntario: 1-866-531-2600 for Ontario residents; see your province’s helpline for resources elsewhere.