Ottawa at New Jersey

The All-Star break couldn't have come fast enough for the struggling Ottawa Senators. They limped into the break in the throws of a bad 1-12 stretch. Ottawa is averaging just 2.2 goals per game on the season and 1.4 per game over their last five. Meanwhile, they are allowing 3.5 per game on the road and 4.2 per game over their last five. I don't expect all of this to magically be fixed because of the break. New Jersey has their own defensive problems, but the Senators are just 5-14 this season vs. teams that give up 2.9+ goals per game. New Jersey is 15-5 OVER the past three seasons vs. teams at .400 or worse. That includes a 10-2 OVER mark vs. the worst teams (those outscored by 0.5+ goals per game). Ottawa is 12-4 OVER the past two seasons after scoring 2 goals or less in back-to-back games. Tonight I’m on New Jersey and the OVER in this one.