The Boston Bruins (4-6-0) and Ottawa Senators (4-4-1) meet in an Atlantic Division duel tonight. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. EDT at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
The Senators are favored by -1.5 on the puck line, with the over/under set at 6 (-105o / -115u). The Senators are a -180 favorite to win outright, while the Bruins are +150 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Bruins vs. Senators predictions and NHL picks.
Bruins vs. Senators Odds, Pick
| Bruins Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -180 | 6 -105o / -115u | +150 |
| Senators Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +150 | 6 -105o / -115u | -180 |
- Bruins vs. Senators Spread: Senators -1.5 (+150 ), Bruins +1.5 (-180)
- Bruins vs. Senators Over/Under: 6 (-105o / -115u)
- Bruins vs. Senators Moneyline: Bruins +150, Senators -180
Bruins vs. Senators Preview
Boston Bruins
The Bruins are in a weird spot this season. After spending years as the Eastern Conference elite, it’s expected that the Bruins will finish outside of the playoffs in 2025-26.
David Pastrnak remains one of the league’s best goal scorers as he looks to make this a fifth consecutive season where he pots 40 goals in a season, but currently, the team leader in goals is someone you wouldn’t expect: Morgan Geekie.
I’d like to preface it by saying I’ve always been a fan of the way Geekie plays, and thought he had 30-goal potential (which he unlocked last season), but as of late, he’s been on a heater with four goals in his past three games.
Overall, to start the season, the Marco Sturm era in Boston has gone off to a mediocre start. The Bruins’ 5-on-5 play has been underwhelming to say the least, with a seventh-worst 45.42 xGF% and sixth-worst 3.07 xGA/60, and the defense is going to hurt even more with Hampus Lindholm out.
The power play has also been underwhelming as they score at a less-than-20% rate, but the penalty kill has held on fairly well with a top-10 87.2% success rate.
That leads us to Jeremy Swayman, the goalie of the future in Boston, who is faring as well as he can with the defense in front of him. He’s currently posting a .910 SV% and a 5.0 GSAx.
Ottawa Senators
Ottawa started its season poorly, and it didn’t help that captain Brady Tkachuk has been out, but the Senators are starting to make a comeback in the standings.
They’ve captured points in three consecutive games, including a towering 7-1 win over the Capitals, where Drake Batherson and Dylan Cozens each netted a pair of goals.
Not only that, Shane Pinto has been a stunning revelation thus far. Pinto always had the goods, but he’s been on a tear with eight goals in nine games. Whether he comes back down to Earth or keeps it up, it remains to be seen, but the talent has always been there.
I truly think that Ottawa’s poor start to the season was just a string of bad luck and poor goaltending. The latter being a tale as old as time.
Linus Ullmark has been given a massive workload to start the season, and it’s been a slog for the former Vezina winner, but it looks like the Senators have given him the day off.
Leevi Meriläinen will get the start tonight and will look for redemption, as his lone start this season was a nightmare. He let up seven goals on 26 shots faced against the Sabres two weeks ago.
Bruins vs. Senators Prediction
I have a lot of hope for the Senators this season, and think they will find a way to the playoffs this season.
However, I just think the Bruins are way undervalued here.
Currently, they sit at +150 on bet365, and I expect that number to drop even more given the Meriläinen news. Even though I’m not particularly a fan of how the Bruins are built, there are some really solid goal scorers outside of Pastrnak and Geekie.
The Senators’ 5-on-5 defense has been playing at a top-three pace so far, but goaltending has led them to be where they are right now.
I think Boston finds a way here and pulls out a victory.
Pick: Bruins ML (+150)
