Don't expect fireworks between Preds, Sens on Monday night

We have just one game on the ice Monday night as the NHL crawls toward the All-Star break.

Let's look at the best ways to attack it.

Predators (-105) @ Senators (-115)

The Predators have mastered the art of low-event hockey. They've tightened the ship relative to what we saw earlier in the season by cutting down the chances allowed while sacrificing offensively. The strategy has led to a lot of low-scoring contests lately.

Nashville has played seven straight games in which no more than five goals were scored, with the average being just 4.57 goals. That's nearly two full goals below tonight's total.

I know the Senators have bled goals all season, but there's reason to believe there's light at the end of the tunnel. Ottawa finally appears to be making a lot of progress under interim coach Jacques Martin.

At five-on-five, the Sens have allowed just 1.96 expected goals per 60 minutes over the past couple of weeks (seven games). That's the second-lowest rate in the league, placing them behind only the Panthers.

Ottawa has also done a much better job of staying out of the box in that time, which helps make life easier for its netminders.

We've still seen some big goal totals in the Senators' games, as goaltending has remained an issue, but their process has improved drastically. And the Predators aren't a highly skilled finishing team likely to convert on seemingly every chance that comes their way.

Nashville and Ottawa both rank in the top seven in expected goal suppression over the past couple of weeks. With the Predators playing in a lot of hotly contested, low-scoring affairs and the Senators looking to play a similar style to mask their goaltending issues, I don't expect much action in this one.

Bet: Under 6.5 (+105)

Brady Tkachuk: Over 3.5 shots

Tkachuk has gone under his shot total in four consecutive games, but I love his chances of getting back on track Monday night.

The 24-year-old has recorded four-plus shots in 19 of 26 contests in Ottawa this season, which equates to a ridiculous 73% success rate.

We've seen a slight dip in Tkachuk's volume lately, but that's likely a byproduct of a difficult schedule as opposed to anything he's doing wrong. The Senators' last three home games came against the Jets, Bruins, and Rangers.

The Predators are competent but certainly a tier or two below those teams.

Nashville also struggles mightily on the penalty kill. Over the past 10 games, the club ranks in the bottom six in suppressing shots, goals, and expected goals when shorthanded.

Tkachuk has a healthy team lead in shots and scoring chances while on the man advantage. Getting him looks around the net is the top priority for the Senators, so Tkachuk should have ample opportunity to take advantage of Nashville's weak penalty kill.

As a cherry on top, Tim Stutzle returns Monday to center Tkachuk's top line. The Sens captain averages four more shot attempts per 60 minutes when playing with Stutzle as opposed to Josh Norris.

Odds: -135 (playable to -150)

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X at @ToddCordell.

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