Ottawa Senators vs. Montreal Canadiens Prediction, NHL Odds
In a complete downward spiral and riding a five-game losing streak, the Montreal Canadiens are looking to get back in the win column on Tuesday against an Ottawa Senators team that sits at the bottom of the North Division.
Montreal is a -264 favourite to win on the NHL odds with a total of 6.5.
Senators vs. Canadiens Betting Analysis
Montreal is the one team Ottawa has actually been strong against this season, as the Senators have taken three of four meetings so far. All four games this year have been close and decided by a single goal, with the last two games needing extra time to solve.
The Senators have not been good overall this year, but they struggle even more on the road. Ottawa has lost nine of 12 road games this season and seven of their last nine games in Montreal. The Sens have hit the Over in four of their last six games overall and they are 12-12 against the spread.
After a strong start to the season, Montreal has been reeling and dropped five straight games. They have also only managed to pick up one win in their last five games at the Bell Centre. The Habs are 9-11 ATS overall, covering in just three of eight home games.
Ottawa Senators
This is not the same Ottawa team that started the season looking like they could set the record for lowest point production in NHL history. The Sens just picked up two wins in a three-game series with Calgary, including a 5-1 win on Monday. Drake Batherson had another big game on Monday, finishing with two goals, while rookie Tim Stutzle picked up two helpers. Batherson now leads Ottawa in scoring with 17 points (9G, 8A) in 24 games. He also has the most points for the Senators against Montreal this season with two goals and three assists. Stutzle is second in the NHL rookie point race with 14 points (5G, 9A) in 21 games. The 2020 third overall draft pick has a goal and three assists against Montreal this season as well as a shootout winner.
It’s safe to say this season hasn’t gone the way Matt Murray or the Ottawa Senators wanted it to when the Sens traded for Murray in the off-season and quickly signed him to a four-year contract. Murray is 6-10-1 with a 3.55 goals-against average and .888 save percentage. Murray is, however, much more successful against Montreal. Three of his six wins have come against the Habs and he has a 2.41 GAA in those games. For his career, Murray is 7-2-0 against Montreal with a 2.40 GAA and .924 SV. There’s no doubt Murray will be the starter on Tuesday.
Montreal Canadiens
After starting the season with all the puck-luck in the world, everything positive seems to have dried up for Montreal. Things haven’t been good for them lately, but it’s not as bad as it seems. Although the Habs have dropped five straight games, two of those losses actually came in overtime and one in a shootout, so they are still managing to pick up the occasional single point, even when they lose. The drop-off in offensive production is what has really changed the Habs’ fortunes. After averaging over four goals per game and leading the league in scoring at the start of the season, Montreal has managed just 20 goals in their last 10 games. While their special team’s still leads the league with seven short-handed goals on the season, the Habs have only converted twice on the power play in their last 11 games.
Although newly promoted head coach Dominique Ducharme won’t officially announce his starting goaltender, it looks like Jake Allen will get his second start in a row, based on Monday’s practice. Allen has played better than No. 1 goalie Carey Price and with Montreal in desperate need of a win, they’ll need to go with the hot hand. Allen has a 4-2-2 record this season with a 2.12 GAA and .929 SV. Even the four losses he has recorded can’t really be blamed on him. The Habs were shutout twice and managed a combined three goals in Allen’s four losses this season.
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