<p>Join Daily Faceoff’s Andy MacNeil as he handicaps Tuesday’s matchup between the Ottawa Senators and New York Islanders.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Senators vs. Islanders Odds</h2>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Ottawa Senators Moneyline: +100</li>



<li>New York Islanders Moneyline: -120</li>



<li>Puck Line: Senators +1.5 (-250), Islanders -1.5 (+195)</li>



<li>Game Total: 5.5 (Over -115, Under -105)</li>
</ul>



<p><em>Game odds via Sports Interaction.</em></p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Handicapping the Islanders (17-25 SU, 19-23 ATS, 22-18-2 O/U)</h2>



<p>Tuesday’s game marks the start of a seven-game homestand for the Islanders following a sweep of their three-game road trip. New York defeated the Boston Bruins, Vegas Golden Knights, and Utah Hockey Club to win consecutive road games for the first time this season.</p>



<p>The Islanders have yet to win consecutive home games this season but haven’t lost back-to-back games on home ice since late November. However, unlike in past seasons, the Isles have struggled at home overall, with a .389 win rate at UBS Arena.</p>



<p>Additionally, the Islanders are not as strong in the crease at the moment, with Semyon Varlamov out since the start of December, and Ilya Sorokin not feeling 100 percent. That leaves former Senators goaltender Marcus Hogberg to man the crease for New York on Tuesday after earning his first win in nearly four years.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="163"></div>



<p>Also on the injury list is defender Alexander Romanov, who is expected to miss his second straight game with an upper-body injury.</p>



<p>New York has won seven of its past 10 meetings against the Senators, which includes wins from earlier this season. The Islanders won road games in Ottawa on Nov. 7 and Dec. 8, both by a score of 4-2. However, although Sorokin has struggled this season, not having him in the crease for this game moves the needle a lot.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Handicapping the Senators (21-21 SU, 17-25 ATS, 13-23-6 O/U)</h2>



<p>Ottawa is also without its top goaltender, Linus Ullmark, who has missed the last eight games after he suffered an injury on Dec. 22. However, with backup Anton Forsberg struggling to regain his form, having earned just four wins in 14 appearances, it’s been AHL call-up Leevi Merilainen that has helped turn things around.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="136"></div>



<p>Merilainen, Ottawa’s 71st pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, has won four of five starts since making his season debut on Dec. 21. He was credited with a loss against the Edmonton Oilers, when Ullmark had to leave the game due to injury, but he should be cut some slack for that loss considering he was facing arguably the best offensive team in the league in what was the second half of a back-to-back.</p>



<p>There’s not much separating the Islanders and Senators, in the standings or otherwise, but given the murky goaltending situations both teams are in, Ottawa might be in a better situation than the odds suggest. The Senators grade out better offensively and defensively than New York, at least on the surface, and any edge the Islanders do have is minimal.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="2" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="134"></div>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Best bet for Senators vs. Islanders</h2>



<ul class="wp-block-list">
<li>Brady Tkachuk Anytime Goal (+170) at Sports Interaction</li>
</ul>



<p>Captain Brady Tkachuk has scored just two goals over his last 10 outings, but he’s still been generating far more shots on goal than any other Senators skater. Tkachuk leads all Senators players in expected goals (5.21) by a wide margin during this stretch, too, according to Evolving Hockey, and he had scored 16 goals in 29 previous games after going goalless in his first three outings this season. Tkachuk has scored four goals combined in his last three trips to UBS Arena and he’ll have a much better chance of scoring against Hogberg than he would against Sorokin or Varlamov.</p>



<p><a href="https://app.actionnetwork.com/4zu6/chznhm6b"><em>Follow Andy’s hockey bets on the Action App!</em></a></p>
