Can the Ottawa Senators reach the playoffs this season?

The Ottawa Senators will be hoping for a better season than last year in 2021-22. Ottawa were knocked out of contention for the Stanley Cup playoffs in May, as they were beaten by the Montreal Canadiens in overtime. They eventually finished sixth in the North Division, having won just 23 games all season.

The majority of their wins came at the Canadian Tire Centre, as they won 14 of their home fixtures, while they went 9-18-1 away from home. But, are the odds giving them much chance of an unlikely charge towards the Stanley Cup this season?

Huge Outsiders For Stanley Cup Success

Given from what we have seen from the Senators over recent seasons, it isn’t much of a surprise that they aren’t fancied to win the Stanley Cup in 2022. The Senators are currently a 125/1 chance to win the famous trophy, making them one of the biggest outsiders. Only the Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes have bigger Vegas odds to win the Stanley Cup.

A famous success in the post-season tournament would be a record breaking achievement for the Senators, as they have never previously won ice hockey’s most prestigious title. And, according to the odds, that long wait for Stanley Cup success is likely to continue in 2021-22.

Conference Chances

The Senators have won the Eastern Conference on one previous occasion in their history, as they claimed their only success in the 2006-07 season. However, like their Stanley Cup chances, their odds to win the conference title this season are also pretty high. Ottawa are currently a 60/1 chance to win the Eastern Conference this season, which is one of the biggest odds available for the title.

Only the Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres have higher odds at present. The teams at the top of the betting are all heavily favored, which shows the size of the challenge that the Senators have in upsetting the odds. The Tampa Bay Lightning are the current favorites in the market, as they are priced at 9/2. Meanwhile, the Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs are all priced lower than 10/1.

Atlantic Division Outsiders

The trend of the Senators being outsiders in all of the outright markets continues in the betting for the Atlantic Division. Ottawa are huge 80/1 outsiders to win the division this season, which makes them the highest priced selection aside from the Buffalo Sabres. The Florida Panthers are the current favorites in that market, as they are 8/5 on to top the division. The size of the challenge on the hands of the Senators can already been seen from the start to the season that they have made.

Ottawa have won twice in five games, and have already been beaten in four occasions. They have the worst attacking record in the division, having scored just ten times, Meanwhile, they have allowed 12 goals, which is the fourth-best defensive record in the Atlantic Division.