The Ottawa Senators can take a 2-0 lead in their second-round series of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with New York on Saturday when they host the Rangers in Game 2 as narrow -110 underdogs at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Ottawa drew first blood with a 2-1 win in a Game 1 clash pegged as a pick‘em on the NHL odds, and has claimed victory in eight of its last 11 contests going into Saturday afternoon’s Rangers-Senators betting matchup at the Canadian Tire Centre.
The Senators have rewarded bettors with outright wins as underdogs in three of four games overall since falling 2-1 to Boston as a +109 wager in Game 1 of the first round. That puts the brakes on a 1-6 swoon as underdogs, but the Senators have struggled as underdogs on home ice, picking up the win in just one of five after going 6-3 in their previous nine.
Fortunately for Ottawa, the Rangers have yet to find a way to halt a slide that has left them winless in six of eight on the road.
New York’s current road woes come in stark contrast to its dominance away from Madison Square Garden earlier this season. The Rangers posted wins in 19 of 23 road dates prior to their current away run, but have potted just 10 total goals in their past six games away from home and have seen the total finish under five goals on four occasions.
The Rangers’ loss in Game 1 extends the club’s struggles against Ottawa. New York has now been outscored by a 13-6 margin while losing four of five to the Senators since January 2016 according to the OddsShark NHL Database, including a pair of shutout defeats.
Later on Saturday, the Washington Capitals look to bounce back from a 3-2 Game 1 loss to Pittsburgh as -134 chalk as they take on the Penguins in Game 2 as -150 home favourites.
The vaunted Capitals offense has been limited to just two goals in each of their past three games. Washington has also lost nine of 13 to the Penguins, who are 21-9 in their past 30 postseason contests, recording consecutive losses on just one occasion during that stretch.
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