Pittsburgh Penguins vs Ottawa Senators Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 03/26/26

The Ottawa Senators further gave off “team of destiny” vibes on Tuesday night when they defeated the Detroit Red Wings in a game they weren’t really supposed to win. After Thomas Chabot left Monday night’s game with an arm injury that will keep him out for a while, and Lassi Thompson also got knocked out by an injury, the Senators were left with 4 defensemen for the remainder of the game before playing again 24 hours later. Even with a full complement of defensemen the next night, it was still a far cry from their usual depth, with Jake Sanderson also out of the lineup. If the Senators could win a big game with that lineup, then they may not lose another game for the remainder of the year.

Well, that isn’t realistic, and while they were able to beat a flailing Red Wings team on Tuesday night, they’ll be in for a much tougher test when Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins roll into town. With the Penguins sitting in 3rd place but trying to hold off the New York Islanders, who are 1 point behind them, Pittsburgh will be desperate to end its 2-game losing streak. With how tight the standings are, a Penguins loss and an Islanders win would actually have Pittsburgh go from 3rd in the Atlantic Division to outside the playoffs, as the Senators winning this game would help them pass the Penguins in the wild card standings.

The Penguins are coming off 2 ugly efforts, but it isn’t as if they were losing to non-playoff teams. The 2 blowouts came at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche, who are currently 1st in their respective conferences. Playing against a defensive group led by Tyler Kleven and Artem Zub should be a welcome change of pace for the Penguins after those matchups.

It’s understandable after everything we’ve seen from the Senators over the past couple of weeks that they’d still be favorites. However, after the surprising rookie performances of defensemen Carter Yakemchuk and Jorian Donovan and a massive win on Tuesday, this feels like a great letdown spot for the young defensemen and the rest of the makeshift group, and a perfect opportunity to get the Penguins at plus money.

Penguins vs Senators prediction: Ottawa Senators ML (+125) available at time of publishing. Playable to +100.