The Senators host the Penguins on Thursday night. Welcome back to NHL Predictions here with Last Word On Hockey! Each day, we provide in-depth analysis, insights, and predictions for games around the NHL. In tonight’s matchup, Ottawa looks to pick up valuable points against a floundering Pittsburgh squad.
NHL Predictions Pittsburgh Penguins vs Ottawa Senators
Head-to-Head: Senators 0-0 Penguins
Time: 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST)
How to Watch: Sportsnet+, RDS2, TSN5, SN-PIT.
Tim Stutzle and his Ottawa Senators squad host Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Penguins Story
Pittsburgh comes into this game off a 6-4 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. This loss marks the Penguins’ sixth straight, four of which have come in overtime or the shootout. With the litany of losses, Pittsburgh now find itself outside of the playoff picture and quickly diving down the standings. After a strong start to the season, November and December have both exposed the defensive deficiencies of the Penguins and returned them to rebuilding status. With the trade of former starting goaltender Tristan Jarry, the Penguins have signaled to other teams that just like last season, they are open for a fire sale. With this, expect the Penguins to showcase other veterans like Danton Heinen and Connor Clifton – players on expiring contracts that can be moved for assets this season.
Losing Evgeni Malkin was a turning point in the season. Malkin had eight goals and 29 points through 26 games prior to going down with an injury. Although captain Sidney Crosby leads the team with 35 points and 32 games, no other player on the team has been able to surpass Malkin for a second in team scoring. A player to watch for is Erik Karlsson from the blue line. Karlsson has scored seven points in his last five games and has a five-game point streak. He has three goals and 25 points in 32 games this season. Although Stuart Skinner’s debut for Pittsburgh did not go the way fans had hoped, expect Skinner to get the start in this game against Ottawa. Look for him to try to rebound from a thrashing from his former team.
Senators Story
Ottawa comes into this game off a huge 3-2 win in overtime over the Winnipeg Jets. Ottawa has three wins and four losses in the month of December. Their 15-13-4 record places them third last in the Eastern Conference standings, four points out of a Stanley Cup Playoff spot, with a handful of teams to jump. This season hasn’t been the continuation from last season that Ottawa had hoped for.
However, Ottawa is a team capable of getting hot at the right time in order to position itself better heading into the second half of the season. The Senators are also a middling team in terms to team stats, ranking 18th in goals-for and 20th in goals-against in the NHL. They’ll need their star skaters and Linus Ullmark to perform to expectations in order to pick up valuable points.
The Senators are led in scoring by Tim Stutzle. Stutzle has 15 goals and 33 points and 32 games. Behind him, Drake Batherson has put together a good season, scoring 13 goals and 30 points through 29 games. Dylan Cozens is also playing well as of late. He has seven points in his last five games, with 10 goals and 24 points in 32 games on this season. Although the Senators are lacking in offence from the blueline, star defenceman Jake Sanderson has more than done his part. He has seven goals and 26 points and 32 games while playing important minutes from the back end. However, against a very high-scoring Penguins group, Linus Ullmark will need to bring his best in order to get his team the win. Ullmark is 12-8-4 this season with an .879 save percentage and 3.00 goals-against average. He’ll need to be better than his current stats against an offensive team like Pittsburgh.
We found out Lars Eller will miss about three more weeks with a broken foot. Furthermore, Thomas Chabot is back skating, and may be available sooner, rather than later. Meanwhile, Shane Pinto has only just started skating, but isn’t expected back until at least after Christmas. So, the Sens do have to deal with these injuries.
Travis Green-
Chabot shouldn’t be out too much longer but won’t play tomorrow.
Eller out another 3 weeks with a broken foot.
Linus Ullmark and Jake Sanderson left practice early, but Green says nothing to worry about.
— TSN 1200 Ottawa (@TSN1200) December 17, 2025
NHL Prediction
The Ottawa Senators are a team desperate to build momentum heading into the second half of the season. The Penguins, meanwhile, look completely lifeless at the moment and have surrendered six straight losses. Expect them to lose a seventh straight in this game and the Ottawa Senators to pick up an important two points.
NHL Prediction: Senators Win 5-4
Prop Bet of the Night
An offensive juggernaut with an anemic defensive mindset in the Pittsburgh Penguins take on a struggling Linus Ullmark. Expect a high-scoring game, and with that, a popular prop bet of goals over eight with odds of +360 is a solid one.
Main Photo: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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Travis Green says Pinto has begun skating again. He continues to recover from a Lower Body injury.
— TSN 1200 Ottawa (@TSN1200) December 17, 2025
The post NHL Predictions: Dec 18 Pittsburgh Penguins vs Ottawa Senators appeared first on Last Word On Hockey.