Boston Bruins vs. Ottawa Senators Betting Picks, Predictions March thirteenth

The second week again at Deadspin panned out a lot nicer than the primary. Nonetheless, there are nonetheless a number of extra unfastened ends to tie up in attempting to safe profitable hockey and basketball seasons earlier than it’s on to baseball.

Tonight’s over/below might arguably be thought of the primary occasion in all {of professional} sports activities — properly, at the very least in case you’re a Boston Bruins fan.

That’s as a result of it should contain a showdown between former teammates who occur to share the excellence of being one of many NHL’s prime goalie duos in current historical past. In addition they created probably the greatest signature tandem celebrations, too.

Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark made magic whereas they have been goaltenders “1A” and “1B” in Boston — even serving to the group set a league file for many factors by one crew in a single season — and this closing matchup of the marketing campaign between the Bruins and Senators will see them meet for a second time.

The primary assembly that noticed the pair of netminders lock horns occurred again on Nov. 9, a 3-2 highway victory for Ottawa that additionally produced a triumph for individuals who wager the below. The opposite two matchups that includes these outdated Northeast Division rivals solely had both one or neither of Swayman and Ullmark.

This rematch between the 2 might be their most necessary head-to-head tilt up to now given every membership’s present positioning within the postseason image. The Senators are within the first wild-card playoff spot proper now by a handful of factors, whereas the Bruins sit two factors out of the second and closing slot — however with three different Japanese Convention groups forward of them.

Boston additionally simply underwent a big hearth sale that noticed them lose longtime franchise stalwart Brad Marchand — the final individual left from their 2011 Stanley Cup championship crew, by the way in which — along with Brandon Carlo, Charlie Coyle and others.

Even regardless of these impactful subtractions, the Bruins have performed impressed as of late, notching consecutive wins towards the Lightning and Panthers (towards eternally good friend Marchand in that one) for the reason that commerce deadline. Swayman began these video games and was terrific in each, nevertheless it’s his current candid phrases that may lead one to imagine his greatest stretch of the season continues to be to come back.

Swayman informed ESPN’s Emily Kaplan after his shutout versus Tampa: “We will miss these guys a lot. They led the groundwork, Emily, and it is by no means going to be the identical with out them, nevertheless it needs to be as much as us which have been there with them to proceed their legacy and perceive that next-man-up mentality and make them proud.”

With a mindset like that, Swayman is an efficient wager to proceed his current sturdy play regardless of perhaps not matching the same old lofty expectations he’s set for himself since arriving within the NHL 4 years in the past. I’d belief him to constantly carry out nearer to his commonplace by means of the season’s closing few weeks.

Ullmark, in the meantime, is constant his efficient work in his inaugural marketing campaign as a Senator. He won’t be inching towards one other Vezina Trophy like he did two years in the past, however he’s nonetheless having one other stable season according to what he produced throughout his total tenure as a Bruin. He in all probability gained’t disappoint both reverse one among his greatest associates.

Moreover, Boston shed almost half of its prime seven purpose scorers, and contemplating that they’re already second from the underside within the East in targets per sport (2.71), that may’t bode properly for the offense within the brief time period. We’ll simply be centered on the offense persevering with its slog in Ottawa.

I’m opting to tack on a half-goal to the full of 5.5 for what’s an affordable worth.

Choose: Underneath 6 (-155, BetMGM)

NHL betting file: 34-27-3, +0.8 unit
Over/Unders: 20-21-3
Goalie props: 14-6

Every wager graded as if it have been to win one unit except in any other case said.

Observe me @MattZylbert on Twitter/X for potential further picks.