Ottawa Senators 2010 Preview & Predictions

Ottawa Senators 2010 Season Preview, Predictions Picks & Odds

With the NHL Hockey season just around the corner, we are providing season previews for all 30 teams to give you the betting edge. Follow the best NHL Hockey Handicappers as they analyze their teams in this 2010 season preview. Use our comprehensive and insider info to bet successfully on the NHL in our recommend sportsbooks. View the rest of our 2010 NHL Season Previews here.

OTTAWA SENATORS

2009-10 record: 44-32-6
Shootout Record: 5-5
Division Finish: 2nd, Northeast
Conference Finish: 5th, Eastern
Goals For: 225
Goals Against: 238

Ottawa Senators 2010 Preview

Last season was a bounce back campaign for the Ottawa Senators, who posted a solid fifth place finish in the Eastern Conference, a year after missing the post-season dance for the first time since 1995-96.

This team always seems to hang around and cause trouble for everyone in the Eastern Conference, returning to the playoffs last year to throw a scare into Pittsburgh and set the table for the defending champions’ exit in the next round.

Corning off a 94-point showing, a height they’ve reached in 10 of the past 11 seasons, they are not likely going to fade this year, either, now that they’ve solidified their goaltending and continued to evolve into equal parts talent and tenacity.

Owner Eugene Melnyk was certainly optimistic as he assessed what’s ahead for general manager Bryan Murray and coach Cory Clouston.

None of the Senators’ top forwards played the full 82 games, and playoff scratches included defenseman Filip Kuba, forwards Alex Kovalev, Milan Michalek and some others playing hurt.

Murray did lose long-serving defenseman Anton Volchenkov, but promptly replaced him with one of the League’s premier offensive blueliners of the decade, Sergei Gonchar.

Career Senator Jason Spezza remained with the team for the present after talk he would be moving out.

Murray traded second-round picks to acquire more playoff insurance in forward Matt Cullen and defenseman Andy Sutton and saw the moves payoff instantly when Cullen led the team with eight post-season points, though he’s moved on to Minnesota.

The two goalkeepers, Leclaire and Brian Elliott, will likely have a spirited battle in September, joined by Robin Lehner and Mike Brodeur.

Leclaire’s injury woes allowed Elliott to get the upper hand on the job as the year played out. One mishap saw Leclaire’s cheekbone broken by a puck while he was parked on the bench. He eventually finished as the NO.1 in the Pittsburgh series.

Leading scorer Alfredsson, who carne through with another big playoff after his own sports hernia issues, says he wants to return for a 15th season.

2010 Ottawa Senators Offense:

Center Mike Fisher is underrated no more, surging to the team lead in goals with 25, reaching double figures on the power play, leading the way with six game-winners and achieving five more playoff points. Alfredsson has compiled an impressive 12 seasons of 20 goals or more, all but one accomplished while playing less than 80 games. Spezza missed 22 games, but was on a near point-a-game pace, while Kovalev just missed scoring 20 for his fourth different team. Ex-Hurricane Cup winner Chris Kelly, Fisher, Chris Neil, Regin and Jarkko Ruutu all did well against Pittsburgh.

2010 Ottawa Senators Defense:

Gonchar reached at least 50 points four times with Pittsburgh and the same milestone four times during his years with Washington. And 50 was almost double what the highest-scoring Ottawa defenseman last year managed (Kuba’s 28). That made Ottawa the only team in the League to have a defenseman as low as ninth in team scoring. Karlsson played more than 20 minutes a night as a rookie and had six post-season points. But in terms of actual own-zone efficiency, Phillips was a plus-eight as the only Ottawa defenseman to play all 82 games. He’s now approaching 900 games as a Senator.

2010 Ottawa Senators Goaltending:

Though his season ended on a downer when Pittsburgh brought its entire offensive might to bear, Elliott had to call it a success. He went from projected backup to near-30-game winner. adding five shutouts. Leclaire’s injury woes and ugly 3.20 goals-against average recalled his difficulties in Columbus, but nearly 10 years after the Jackets made him a high first round pick, he’s not yet 30 and still in position to wrestle the No. 1 job away.

Ottawa Senators 2010 Special Teams

The Sens jumped eight places in penalty killing from ’08-09 to have an 84.3% showing and seventh overall. But their power play went in the opposite direction, ending up 21st and below 17%.

Ottawa Senators 2010 Season Predictions

Four of the eight teams that made the Eastern Conference playoffs hailed from the Northeast Division and three different teams from there have finished first in the division the past four years. Thus, Ottawa’s 14 Northeast victories served it well last season. They’ll need strong numbers again.

We predict that the Ottawa Senators will finish 4th in the NHL Northeast.

Ottawa Senators Betting

Ottawa Senators Stanley Cup Odds: +4000
Ottawa Senators Eastern Conference Odds: +1800

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