Ottawa vs Pittsburgh NHL Betting Preview

NHL Hockey Bet : The Ottawa Senators lack players with the offensive skills and postseason portfolios of Sidney Crosby(notes), Evgeni Malkin(notes) and Jordan Staal(notes). They do possess a sound game plan, excellent defensemen and a commitment to make an Eastern Conference first-round series that was supposed to be a Penguins walkover into an extended, difficult-to-win round.

Deep down, the Penguins probably expected their true challenges to come in later rounds against Washington and/or New Jersey, teams they didn’t defeat once this season. The Senators’ surprise 5-4 victory in Game 1 changed all that.

Game 2 on Friday isn’t necessarily a must-win game for the Penguins, who came back from 2-0 deficits twice while winning the Stanley Cup last spring. But it’s as close as it gets.