Detroit Red Wings vs Ottawa Senators - Odds and Predictions

Where: Canadian Tire Centre – Kanata, Ontario, Canada

When: Wednesday, October 23, 7:30PM EST

How (TV/Radio): Fox Sports Detroit | WFAN

Looking for NHL future predictions? Then check out our favorites to win the 2020 Stanley Cup!

Detroit Red Wings (Away)

Head Coach: Jeff Blashill{All-Time 139-150-47 DET}

It’s almost as if the Detroit Red Wings will be playing against a slightly-worse mirror-image of themselves Wednesday night. Currently riding a four-game losing streak, Detroit will head into the Ottawa Senators’ home arena desperate for a win against the only team they are statistically expected to beat. A loss against Ottawa could lead to a big early season shake up when it comes to lines, roster, and staff.

Offense

The highest the Detroit Red Wings rank in anything offensively is 24th-overall in the league. What for? Shooting percentage. The Red Wings one of the worst shooting percentages in the entire NHL at just 8.1 percent. The Red Wings have also been averaging a shot total of just under 30 per game at 29.4. It just gets worse from there – including worse than their opponents, the Ottawa Senators. The Red Wings are averaging just 2.38 goals per game. The team ranks 27th in faceoffs with a win percentage of just 46.5 and they have the sixth-worst power play with just a 9.52 percent success rate. They have scored the fifth-fewest goals ion the league with a combined team total of 19

Defense

On the defensive side of things, these two teams are, again, almost parallels of one another. In fact, the Detroit Red Wings and the Ottawa Senators are tied when it comes to goals allowed this season, with both teams having allowed a combined total of 28 goals against. They are tied at 18th in the league in that statistic. The Red Wings average a 3.5 goal allowance per game and a shot allowance per game of 34.3 – the 28th-worst in the league. Their penalty kill has struggled just as much as their power play unit, ranking at number-25 in the league with just a 72 percent kill rate this season.

Goaltending

Jonathan Bernier is expected to get the start in net once again for Detroit in this matchup. Bernier has put together a season record of 2-2 with a goals against average of 3.03 and a save percentage of .905.

Be sure to also check out our article covering the Detroit Red Wings 2020 Predictions!

Head Coach: D.J. Smith{All-Time 1-6-1 OTT}

Like their opponents, the Ottawa Senators are also riding a four-game losing streak. Ever the confusing team, the Senators only have one win so far this season and it is against last year’s President’s Trophy winners, the Tampa Bay Lightning. This game will mark the Sens return to Ottawa after what was an abysmal stretch of games on the road.

Offense

Don’t worry, Red Wings fans – there isn’t much positive to say about the Ottawa Senators either. With just a 1-6-1 record so far this season, there is little to cheer for as a Sens fan. The Senators are tied with the New York Rangers for the fewest goals scored in the league with just a combined total of 17. The Ottawa Senators are also within the bottom-ten in the league for total shots and those numbers combined leaves them with the league’s worst shooting percentage: 7 percent. The team also ranks just above the Red Wings in the faceoff category. It’s only a narrow margin, but the Sens have a 48.7 win percentage in the faceoff dot. The Ottawa Senators also suffer from the having the league’s worst power play, having just a 4 percent success rate with the man advantage.

Defense

As mentioned earlier, the Ottawa Senators have allowed 28 goals against this season and also allow an average of 3.5 goals against per game. The team also manages to rank below Detroit when it comes to the average shot allowance per game. Ottawa allows an average of of just over 36 shots against per game – the second-worst in the league. They take the 26th-most penalty minutes per game with an average of 10.9 minutes per game. The Ottawa Senators, however, have a slight edge in the defensive side of things when it comes to killing those penalties. Ottawa’s highest defensive stat is their penalty kill, that ranks at number-15 in the NHL with a successful kill percentage of 80 percent.

Goaltending

It is expected that the Ottawa Senators will start veteran goaltender Craig Anderson against the Detroit Red Wings Wednesday night. Anderson has the Sens’ lone win in net and has an overall season record of 1-4. His goals against average this season sits at 3.25 and he thus far has a .895 save percentage.

These two teams last came face to face late last season on Valentine’s Day – February 14. The Detroit Red Wings came away with a narrow 3-2 victory over the Sens.

What’s at Stake?

Relief! Whichever team comes out victorious in this one can breathe a sigh of relief – albeit a small one. Both of these teams are going through their respective rebuilds and with rosters this young, four-game losing streaks can be mentally taxing and bring the morale of the entire locker room crashing down. Both teams need this win badly. Team rebuilds are all about patience, baby steps, and one victory at a time.

Questions to Answer

How much will the confidence of these two teams start from the crease? Both goalies are having rough seasons thud far, but the calmness of the long-tenured Craig Anderson could play a factor in the Senators confidence as the Red Wings could suffer from Bernier’s historically inconsistent play.

Which team’s youth is more NHL ready? With both teams going through rebuilds, it could be argued that Ottawa’s top-six forwards are more experienced and more capable to pull out a victory.

How will Ottawa recover mentally, heading back into the Canadian Tire Centre with a home crowd desperately hungry for a win? Will the pressure be too much?

Detroit Red Wings Injury Report

D Jonathan Ericsson – IR (upper-body)

F Johan Franzen – IR (concussion)

D Dennis Cholowski – IR (undisclosed)

Ottawa Senators Injury Report

F Clarke MacArthur – IR (neck)

F Ryan Callahan – IR/NR (back)

F Marian Gaborik – IR/NR (back)

F Rudolfs Balcers – IR (lower-body)

D Christian Wolanin – IR/NR (shoulder)

Current Odds Listed for Red Wings vs Senators

Check out the latest odds here, provided by New Jersey sportsbooks: bet365 NJ, Unibet and Draftkings.

Money Line:

Puck Line:

Total Goals: