Arizona Coyotes vs. Ottawa Senators: Prediction, Preview, Picks & Odds - 10/22/2022

Time: 4 p.m. ET

Venue: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, ON

Where to watch: TVAS2, TSN5, Bally Sports Arizona

DraftKings: Senators -245, Coyotes +205

FanDuel: Senators -260, Coyotes +205

BetMGM: Senators -250, Coyotes +200

Caesars: Senators -250, Coyotes +205

Coyotes: 1-3-0

Senators: 2-2-0

Coyotes: lost 6-2 at Canadiens

Senators: won 5-2 vs. Capitals

I’m likely going to guess you didn’t have the Ottawa Senators looking like an offensive juggernaut, at least if you haven’t paid attention to what they did in the offseason. You look back, and suddenly you have a team that should be contending for the playoffs if the goaltending does, in fact, pan out. But the Senators are on a fast track to win their third straight game with the lowly Arizona Coyotes coming to town, who have already won their Stanley Cup after beating the Toronto Maple Leafs this week. Which, in apologies to the Coyotes, we’re laughing more at the Leafs still than rejoicing in the Coyotes’ thrilling ways.

But this is about the Sens and their sudden resurgence to glory, which was on display in their home opener, a 7-5 win over the Boston Bruins earlier this week. Ottawa capitalized on that with a 5-2 win at home on Thursday against the Washington Capitals after a two-goal game from Drake Batherson. The Senators were down 2-0 and rallied with two in the second and three in the third, continuing the offensive pressure on Washington goalie Darcy Kuemper.

“It’s a different team here and there’s more maturity, and they’re able to be more composed and they’re able to turn it up another gear,” Senators coach D.J. Smith said. “Clearly, we weren’t at the gear we wanted to be, but give that dressing room credit. Those guys, you know what they did is got themselves ready for the second and third.”

Cam Talbot is still a few weeks away from making his Ottawa debut, so Anton Forsberg has had to hold down the fort for now. So far, so good in these last two starts. The Boston one, he was bailed out with seven goals. This one, he and his teammates played a more sound game against a potent offense in the Capitals. This is a team that, quietly or not internally, has playoff aspirations. Wins like these last two will go a long way. Beating teams they should beat, like Arizona, will also help in banking points.

The Coyotes are coming off a 6-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens a couple days after winning the penultimate game in Toronto. Some lads by the name of J.J. Moser and Travis Boyd scored the lone goals, and the Habs jumped out to a 5-0 lead.

“We had an `A’ day in Toronto, and today, it was not as sharp,” Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny said. “That’s the beauty of the game. You never know who will win because everybody can have a great day or a bad day, but it’s our job to have more good days than bad days.”

The reality is, we have to expect these kinds of nights from the Coyotes. There will be highs, like Toronto, but duds a few nights later. Goaltending is an issue, no matter if it’s Karel Vejmelka or Connor Ingram. This is going to be a long, distraught process.

Find me the last time Ottawa was pushing -250 on the moneyline. Might as well let it ride if you need a win. Senators win 5-1

Coyotes are 12-33 off a road loss over the last three years.

Coyotes are 10-26 in non-conference games over the last three years.

Senators are 12-17 off a home win the last three years.

Coyotes:

Lawson Crouse -- Travis Boyd -- Clayton Keller

Nick Ritchie -- Barrett Hayton -- Dylan Guenther

Matias Maccelli -- Jack McBain -- Zack Kassian

Liam O'Brien -- Nick Bjugstad -- Christian Fischer

J.J. Moser -- Troy Stecher

Shayne Gostisbehere -- Josh Brown

Dysin Mayo -- Juuso Valimaki

Karel Vejmelka

Senators:

Brady Tkachuk -- Tim Stutzle -- Drake Batherson

Alex DeBrincat -- Josh Norris -- Claude Giroux

Tyler Motte -- Shane Pinto -- Mathieu Joseph

Parker Kelly -- Mark Kastelic -- Austin Watson

Thomas Chabot -- Artem Zub

Jake Sanderson -- Travis Hamonic

Nick Holden -- Erik Brannstrom

Anton Forsberg

Points: Shayne Gostisbehere -- 5

Goals: Nick Ritchie -- 3

Assists: Shayne Gostisbehere -- 3

Goalie: Karel Vejmelka -- 1-2-0, 4.35 GAA, .894 SV%

Points: Drake Batherson and Brady Tkachuk -- 6

Goals: Drake Batherson -- 3

Assists: Brady Tkachuk -- 4 

Goalie: Anton Forsberg -- 2-2-0, 3.03 GAA, .903 SV%