What: 2022-23 NHL Regular Season – Ottawa Senators vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
When: Friday, January 20, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. EST
Where: PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins will battle in an Eastern Conference showdown on January 20. The Senators will head down to Pittsburgh for the road matchup in what figures to be a tightly contested game between two struggling sides. With both teams eager to pick up a win and turn around their poor form, we’ll dive into some Senators-Penguins NHL picks for Friday’s clash.
Before taking a look at the picks for the Senators vs. Penguins, make sure to check out our top hockey betting sites, as well as the Vegas odds for the NHL in the 2022-23 season.
Heading into Friday’s matchup, the Penguins are slightly favored over the Senators on their home ice. The Penguins (-150) figure to pick up a win against the Senators (+130), but it should be close between the two Eastern Conference foes. The spread is set at Penguins -1.5 with odds of (+160), while the books anticipate a high-scoring game, with the goal total set for 6.5 goals.
The Senators endured a disappointing first half of the 2022-23 NHL season. Across their first 44 games, Ottawa has just 20 wins, going 20-21-3. More recently, the Senators have played a bit better, going 5-5 in their previous ten games.
Ottawa has a potent offense, with plenty of talented attacking options along the wing and in the center of the ice. Ottawa already has three 40-point scorers this season, Brady Tkachuk (46), Tim Stutzle (42), and Drake Batherson (40). Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux (39) sit one point away from joining their teammates. In short, the Senators’ offense is more than a capable bunch.
It’s defensively where the issues arise for the Senators. This season, Ottawa has surrendered 143 goals while scoring 131 themselves. Only five teams in the Eastern Conference have conceded more goals than the Senators, and of those teams, only two have scored fewer goals than Ottawa.
The Penguins and Senators have squared off just one time this season, with that matchup coming earlier this week on Wednesday. The Senators got the upper hand in a 5-4 overtime win in that matchup, which was played in Ottawa. Now on the road, they’ll have more difficulty securing victory.
While the win may be harder to come by, I expect the Senators to put on another high-scoring game against the Penguins. Because of that, and after seeing nine goals go in during their last meeting, my first pick for this game is the Total Goals OVER 6.5.
The Pittsburgh Penguins enter Friday’s matchup having won just three of their last ten games. Their most recent game was the 5-4 overtime defeat against the Senators. On the season, the Penguins sit fifth in the Metropolitan Division with a 22-15-7 record.
The Penguins offense has been solid this season, scoring 143 goals in 44 games, good for an average of 3.25 goals per game. Defensively, however, they’ve struggled a bit, conceding 135 goals (3.06 per game). Offensively, Sidney Crosby is leading the charge, as usual. The captain has 52 points in 44 games this year, including 21 goals. He and Evgeni Malkin (44) are the only Penguins with 40+ points thus far into the campaign.
Despite losing their last matchup, the Penguins will be back on their home ice for Friday’s tilt. The Penguins have a 12-5-4 record on their home ice, whereas they’ve gone 10-10-3 on the road. As for the Senators, they’re just 8-11-2 on the road, so the home-ice advantage should significantly favor the Penguins.
With the Penguins at home, where they play considerably better, I expect them to take care of business against the Senators. My second pick for this game is Penguins money line (-150). I’m expecting the Penguins to feel a sense of urgency after another overtime loss in their last game out and look to take care of business back at home on Friday.
In addition to the Penguin’s money line, I’m envisioning another struggle defensively for the Senators. The Penguins shouldn’t have too much trouble finding the back of the net against Ottawa, so I’m going to take the Penguins Team Total of OVER 3.5 goals (-105). They’ve hit this mark in four of their last six games, including the OT loss against the Senators earlier this week. I’m expecting the offense to stay hot.
Before diving into our NHL betting action with some Senators-Penguins picks, check out our top sportsbook reviews, which have plenty of information to help you find the best betting site for your needs.
