NHL Game 1 Free Picks For The Boston At Ottawa Match

Posted by Henry Watkins on Wednesday,April 12, 2017 1:15, EDT in

NHL News, Betting Tips, Picks & Previews

There can be no denying that the 82-game NHL regular season is the most brutal in professional sports. Hockey is a game that is played at lightning speeds, and every player on the ice is just one hit away from a serious injury. This year’s regular season is now in the books, but for the 16 teams that made it into the playoffs, things are about to get even more intense. Playoff hockey is unlike anything else in terms of speed and pulse-pounding action, and it all gets started on Wednesday night. There are 8 great first round match-ups starting over the next couple of days, and we will cover them all. The first one that I am looking at is the Boston Bruins and the Ottawa Senators series, which, on the balance of power, looks as though it may be a bit of an uphill battle for the Bruins. Ottawa has won the last 6 meetings between these two, not to mention 8 of the last 10. Boston will be looking to turn that around with at least a split on the road. Find out more about the latest NHL betting odds here.

In Depth Analysis On The NHL Game 1 Free Picks For The Boston At Ottawa Match

When: Wednesday, April 12 at 7 PM EST
Where: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa
TV: NHL Network, SN, TVAS2, NESN
Live Stream: NHL.TV
NHL Odds: Boston Bruins -1½ (+225)

Why bet on the Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins finished in 3rd spot in the Atlantic Division this season, 3 points back of the Ottawa Senators in second. One of the reasons that they were able to land there was due to a strong finish to the season, going 6-3-1 in their last 10 games. That run helped move them out of the Wild Card and away from an opening round game against one of the big guns in the Metropolitan Division. The bad news is that it pits them against an Ottawa team that swept them this season. The Bruins are playing good hockey right now, though, and had a solid road record of 21-14-6.

Why bet on the Ottawa Senators

If the Ottawa Senators are to continue their dominance over the Boston Bruins, they are more than likely going to need to do it by playing solid defense. Of the 16 teams heading into the NHL playoffs, the Senator are the lowest scoring, managing only 212 goals in the regular season. On the positive side of things, they were in the top 10 in goals against per game, but ended up with a -2 goal differential. Goaltending and defense very often wins Stanley Cups, but it’s also nice to have a little bit of offensive firepower on hand, which is something that the Senators cannot claim to have in their back pocket.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

You cannot ignore the fact that the Senator have won 6 straight games versus the Bruins, but it’s also worth noting that half of those games were decided by a single goal. These two teams are very evenly matched, and given how each of them played coming down the stretch, I can see the Bruins stealing the opening game, as well as home ice advantage.