The Ottawa Senators (10th place, 69 points) enter their match as the favorites against the New York Rangers, who are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings. Ottawa has an impressive record, winning four of their last five games by a combined score of 18-12. The Rangers, however, are in a deep slump, losing three of their last five games by a combined goal difference of 17-21, with three of those losses coming by four or more goals.
An analysis of their head-to-head record and the teams' game plans strongly favors an over-the-top total. In their last match on January 15, the Rangers and Ottawa had a high-scoring shootout, combining for 12 goals (4-8). The Rangers' defense has been catastrophic in the current stretch: they have allowed an average of 4.8 goals over their last five games. Ottawa, on the other hand, has a powerful attack capable of scoring 4-7 goals per game, as evidenced by recent victories over Toronto (5-2) and San Jose (7-4).
Given the completely open style of play of both teams, the Rangers' weak defense, and Ottawa's high scoring, we can expect at least 6-7 goals per game. Despite their setbacks, the Rangers retain their offensive potential (they have scored 3 and 6 goals in two of their last five games).
