After failing to play at a competitive level on offense last year, the Ottawa Senators struggles are poised to persist as they face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning who excel at protecting their net. At the same time as their puck drop, we turn our attention towards the Philadelphia Flyers and Florida Panthers as the reigning Stanley Cup champions are in a great position to build on their hot start to the season.
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While Connor Hellebuyck hogged the spotlight for his brilliant play in net last season, Andrei Vasilevskiy quietly matched his level of production as the former Vezina Trophy winner averaged 2.18 Goals Against per game and a .921 Save Percentage. His back line played a major role in his success as the Lightning defense finished the year ranked above league average in Expected Goals Against in All Situations.
In Thursday night’s contest against Ottawa, the Lightning defense will have a great opportunity to put together a dominant performance as they face off against a Senators front line who struggled with creating high quality scoring opportunities due to their lack of versatility. Other than Brady Tkachuk and Shane Pinto, no one else on the Senators averaged more than 0.30 Expected Goals per game. Should the Senators team total drop down to 2.5, then reduce the size of your wager.
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After averaging nearly 2.5 Shots on Goal per game last season, negative regression looms large over Jake Sanderson as the Senators defenseman will struggle to weave the puck through traffic from the blue line due to the Lightning’s suffocating coverage. Barring a broken play in transition, expect Sanderson’s shot attempts to be walled off at a consistent rate. Especially with his offense failing to stretch out the Lightning’s back line as this drastically lessens the width of his shooting lanes.
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Even while dealing with injuries, the Florida Panthers were able to sustain their high level of play on the back end as their defense held the Chicago Blackhawks to an Expected Goal of 1.59. Their aggression drastically lessened the quality of the Blackhawks Shots on Goal, making it easier for Sergei Bobrovsky to wall them off. A performance that mirrored last year’s results as the Panthers ranked top-10 in Expected Goals Against in All Situations.
While the Flyers possess a far more productive offense, they still lack the playmaking that is needed to break through the Panthers back line as only two players averaged an Expected Goal higher than 0.30. Their lack of versatility will allow Sergei Bobrovsky to remain relatively still which hurts their chances of opening up gaps in his net. For some more exposure, escalator bet the Flyers team total by placing smaller wagers on their alternate unders at the best available odds across multiple sportsbooks.
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For a unit who ranked near dead last in Expected Goals For in All Situations, it was stunning to see the Sharks fail to make any impactful additions to their offense in the offseason. With the Vegas Golden Knights back line excelling in coverage while anchored by Adin Hill who averaged less than 2.50 Goals Against per game, expect the Sharks to continue to underwhelm and be held under their listed team total.
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