Welcome to NHL Predictions presented by us here at Last Word on Hockey! Today, we feature the Ottawa Senators as they take on the Nashville Predators. As this is a Senators edition of our daily features, let’s focus on some of their keys specifically to victory. Of course, playing the Predators will greatly influence those keys as we shall see. Today, we shall discuss a big name scorer who needs to continue to produce, a depth forward who needs to get to lighting the lamp with more regularity, and what the team can do as a whole to secure the two points versus the Preds.
NHL Predictions Nashville Predators at Ottawa Senators
Start Time: 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
TV Coverage: SportsnetOne, TVA Sports, ESPN+
For more specifics, the three keys to victory for the Sens tonight versus the Nashville Predators are as follows. First of all, Drake Batherson needs to continue to power the offence behind Tim Stutzle. Stutzle leads the team with 30 points and Batherson is doing well in his own right with 27. Moreover, Stutzle is his own offensive generator. If we go by today’s practice lines, then Batherson will find himself with Brady Tkachuk and Joshua Norris. Therefore, Stutzle will be providing the second-line punch, with Claude Giroux and Adam Gaudette. Both lines have the potential to be effective on any given night. Gaudette has been great this year, especially of late with six goals in his last ten.
Projected lines for tonight’s battle with Nashville
#GoSensGo | @UpperDeckSports pic.twitter.com/TkL0O86Plp
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) December 7, 2024
Another key for the Senators is the clutch performance of their depth forwards. They need production from the third and fourth lines and it was a source of their struggles going back to 2023-24. This is why Gaudette playing up in the lineup, should be a position of strength for the Sens. However, Shane Pinto needs to get going. Pinto has just three points and is playing under 17 minutes a night. Nothing seems to be working. One suggestion is to drop Giroux down to the line with Pinto to really spark his offensive creativity and finishing. However, for tonight, maybe the muckers of Nick Cousins and Michael Amadio can get it going.
It Should Be a Good Battle Tonight
Lastly, the Sens will need to find a way to get to Juuse Saros. One approach is beat him on perfect one timers from the corners. Conversely, it’s hard to shoot as accurately as you need in order to overcome Saros’ very elite quickness. Some say his particular set of skills are unsurpassed in the game today but he does seem to have slowed down from a statistical standpoint perhaps opposed to being at the height of his career two or so seasons ago. The Sens will need to get into his kitchen if they are to be successful this evening.
By the numbers, this should be a good contest between the two starting goalies. Saros and Linus Ullmark are the two confirmed starting goalies for their respective sides in tonight’s matchup. Ullmark holds the upperhand with a 6-7-2 record, opposed to Saros’ disappointing 6-11-5 standing. However, Saros has the edge with a 2.64 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage (Ullmark 2.93 GAA and .891 SV%).
For Nashville, guess who is their premier force in their lineup. While some local hockey fans would understandably be disappointed to hear that Steven Stamkos only has 13 points in 27 games thus far, he is still a threat. However, the force we were referring to is none other than former Norris Trophy winner Roman Josi. Josi has 23 points on the campaign and is hot recently too. Before being shutout in their last game 3-0 by the Montreal Canadiens, Josi had eight points over a six-game streak.
NHL Predictions: Predators and Senators
Here’s why we like the Sens tonight. Their top players are playing better than Nashville’s in 2024-25. Look for Stutzle and Batherson to be too much for the Preds and goaltender Juuse Saros.
Prediction: Ottawa wins in regulation, 4-2.
According to Fanduel, if we want to look at adding some friendly wagers on the outcomes as part of our NHL Predictions, check these out. If you want to live on the edge and go with the four players discussed, be prepared to cash out. For a four-leg same game parlay, taking as anytime scorers Stutzle, Batherson, Pinto, and Josi, the payout is +20522.
Main Photo: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
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