Trust Panthers to cruise past Sens, defense to show up in Winnipeg

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It was a good weekend for our best bets as we picked up a mini-sweep. Martin Necas registered a point in short order against the Coyotes on Friday night and the Panthers followed it up by blowing out the Lightning on Saturday.

We'll look to pick up where we left off with two more plays for Tuesday's card.

The Senators have played much better hockey of late, but they're still a team prone to let-down performances thanks to putrid goaltending.

Take their two most recent losses, for example. The Senators outshot a horrendous Blackhawks team 42-22 and lost because of their .864 save percentage. They also outshot the Ducks 34-20 but were sunk by their .750 save percentage.

What do those losses have in common? Joonas Korpisalo started in net.

He's struggled mightily in his first season with the Senators, and there aren't really any signs of improvement.

Of the 30 most utilized goaltenders since the start of 2024, Korpisalo ranks dead last in goals saved above expected. That's not a recipe for success against the Panthers.

The Senators are in a back-to-back situation, so they'll have a harder time keeping up with a fresh team. Florida is also a dominant possession side that's generated expected goals at a higher clip than all but the Oilers this season.

Korpisalo will likely be heavily tested, and he hasn't shown the ability to hold up.

Look for Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, and a high-powered Panthers attack to overwhelm Korpisalo en route to a multi-goal vicotry.

Bet: Panthers -1.5 (-110)

This should be a tight divisional clash between two teams desperate for points.

The Jets are trying to keep up with the Avalanche and Stars in the hunt for the Central Division title - or at least home ice in the opening round of the playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Wild are just two points back of a wild-card spot as they try and inch their way into the mix following an underwhelming start to the season.

Both teams are in the latter half of back-to-backs. There's little reason for either side - both of which try to play structured, lower-event hockey - to push the pace and open things up offensively.

The goaltending should be competent with Marc-Andre Fleury set to take on Laurent Brossoit.

Fleury appears to be getting his game in order, having posted a .933 save percentage or better in five of his past seven games.

Brossoit has been consistently excellent all season long. He's recorded a .920 save percentage or better in seven of his last eight games, allowing two goals or fewer in all but one.

These are also two strong defensive teams. Even after Monday's barn burner, the Wild still sit first in expected goals against at five-on-five over the past three weeks.

The Jets haven't fared as well in that area of late, but they hold one of the best marks in the NHL throughout the entire season.

With a lot riding on this game for both teams, fatigue a factor on each side, and a solid goaltending matchup, I don't see a lot of offense in this one.

Bet: Under 5.5 (+105)

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

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