Adam Williams presents his prediction for the NHL match.
The Edmonton Oilers conclude their three-game tour of Canada. So far, it has not been very successful. The Oilers will attempt to secure their first victory in a back-to-back against the Ottawa Senators, the fifth team in the Atlantic Division.
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators' scoring prowess is gradually coming back down to earth. This month, the Senators have not been putting up the extraordinary attacking numbers they did at the start of the season. Since November 1, they have been scoring only 2.11 goals per game. Only two teams in the league, the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks, have fewer. It cannot be said that the Senators are catastrophically unlucky in finishing. During the same period, they have created an average of 10.4 scoring chances from prime locations, which is only the 20th best in the league.
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers have a chance to quickly make amends for their disappointing game against the Montreal Canadiens (0:3) last night. The Oilers came out with the wrong mindset: they played sluggishly and took too long to manoeuvre the puck in power plays, trying to make perfect plays, without putting in enough effort to force the opponent into mistakes at even strength. However, over the distance, last year's finalists have not been doing too badly. They have picked up points in five of their last seven away games, and Connor McDavid (7+14) has switched on his turbo mode, racking up 11 points in five games since his return.
Ottawa Senators vs Edmonton Oilers Prediction
The Ottawa Senators are extremely unstable on both sides of the ice. They squandered a two-goal lead against the Philadelphia Flyers (4:5) and were helpless in attack when facing the Carolina Hurricanes (0:4). The Edmonton Oilers have won 7 of their last 10 head-to-head meetings with the Senators, with each victory occurring in regulation time.
