Another inter-conference tilt in the NHL awaits us on Monday, December 12, and here you can check out the best Ducks vs. Senators betting pick and odds.

Anaheim will open its five-game road trip when they visit Ottawa at Canadian Tire Centre. The Senators are -152 moneyline favorites on Bovada Sportsbook, while the total is set at 6.5 goals. These inter-conference rivals have already faced this year, and the Senators won 5-1 in Anaheim.

Ducks returned to losing ways

The Anaheim Ducks (7-18-1-2, 11-17 ATS) are the weakest team so far in the NHL season. They lost 13 of the previous 16 games, and even though the Ducks managed to snap a six-game losing skid with an OT victory over Carolina, they returned to losing ways against the San Jose Sharks. Now, Anaheim will face four Canadian teams on its five-game road trip.

The Ducks were 4-0 down against San Jose midway through the second period, and all they managed to do is score one goal through Trevor Zegras. John Gibson didn’t have the best game as he allowed four goals from 19 shots, and the Ducks lost 6-1 at home. At the moment, Troy Terry leads the team in points with 27 (G 11, A 16), while Zegras has 23 (G 10, A 13).

John Gibson (5-13-3) is slated to start at the goal against the Senators on Monday. The 29-year-old is allowing 3.99 goals per game with a .894 SV% and no shutouts.

C Derek Grant (lower body), D John Klingberg (lower body), D Urho Vaakanainen (undisclosed), C Isac Lundestrom (finger), and D Jamie Drysdale (shoulder) are out indefinitely.

Senators beat the Predators on the road

The Ottawa Senators (11-14-2-0, 16-11 ATS) are back home from a brief two-game road trip on which they recorded a win and a loss. After losing to the Los Angeles Kings, the Senators defeated the Nashville Predators 3-2 and now will take on Anaheim and Montreal in the next two games at Canadian Tire Centre.

Ottawa scored three goals in the space of nine minutes to come from a goal behind to a 3-1 lead in Nashville. The Preds did claw one back, but the Senators stood firm and secured the fourth road victory in five games. Drake Batherson and Shane Pinto led the team with a pair of points apiece. Brady Tkachuk is Ottawa’s top producer so far in the season with 31 points (G 12, A 19). Tim Stutzle has 27 (G 10, A 17), while Claude Giroux chipped in 24 points (G 12, A 12).

Cam Talbot (5-7-0) is taking his place between the sticks against Anaheim on Monday. The 35-year-old is surrendering 2.77 goals per contest with a .909 SV and now shutouts.

C Josh Norris (wrist), D Artyom Zub (jaw), and RW Mathieu Joseph (lower body) are out indefinitely and will not play on Monday against the Ducks.

Anaheim:

  • 11-41 in the last 52 overall
  • 6-15 in the last 21 vs. Eastern Conference rivals
  • 2-8 in the last ten vs. Atlantic Division opponents

Senators:

  • 13-5 in the last 18 when their opponent allows five goals or more in their previous game
  • 6-2 in the last eight vs. a team with a winning % below .400

Anaheim Ducks vs. Ottawa Senators Pick  

Anaheim has the worst defense in the NHL that is allowing 4.21 goals per game, while the Ducks’ offense has been the third-weakest offense with just 2.43 goals per contest. Ottawa is better in both segments and I am going with the hosts in this one. John Gibson, who is dealing with an illness but will probably be at the goal for the Ducks, conceded 11 goals in his previous three starts, while Cam Talbot allowed more than three goals just once in 11 games. That said, I like Talbot better in this matchup.

Pick: Take the Senators to win (-152)

The Total

Even though the Sens don’t have a very efficient offense, the fact that the Ducks conceded 5+ goals in six of their last eight games must be encouraging for Ottawa here. I am backing the hosts to score at least four and I expect to see a high-scoring affair. It’s hard to expect the visitors to score more than two or three, but that should be enough for an Over bet. Over is 4-0 in the Ducks’ last four overall; Over is 5-2 in Anaheim’s previous seven following a loss of three or more goals, while Over is 11-3-3 in the Senators’ last 17 vs. a team with a winning % below .400.

Pick: Go Over 6.5 goals (-110)