It’s an all-Canadian battle between last and second last in the Eastern Conference when the Canadiens play host to the Senators just a few days after these teams met in Ottawa, when the Senators came away as 5-0 winners.
The Montreal Canadiens have lost 4 of their previous 5 games, while Ottawa is looking to stretch their winning streak to four games. Let’s jump into our best betting picks for this game.
Ottawa Senators vs. Montreal Canadiens
Tuesday, January 31, 2023 – 07:00 PM EST at Bell Centre
Game Preview
Ottawa Senators
Currently on a three-game winning streak, the Senators have gotten themselves back to within a chance of making the playoffs, albeit a slim chance, it’s still a chance nonetheless as they find themselves now 9 points adrift of a playoff spot, with two games in hand.
The Senators have a much better team than their current position suggests, although they are limited when it comes to spreading the offense around as just five offensive players have 30+ points, as well as Alex DeBrincat struggling with 40 points in 49 games, which is below par for him.
Despite having lost 4 of their previous 6 road games, the Senators can take some confidence into this game after beating the Toronto Maple Leafs last time on the road by six goals to two.
Montreal Canadiens
The injury list just gets bigger in Montreal as the Canadiens are now missing no less than 10 players including the likes of Paul Byron, Carey Price, and Cole Caufield.
Scoring has been a major problem for this team, as only three players have 21+ points this entire season, one of them being the now-injured Cole Caulfield who had scored 36 points in 46 games but will see no more as he is out for the rest of the regular season with a shoulder injury.
The Canadiens have scored just 2.52 goals per game, which is the 3rd lowest in the NHL right now, as well as having allowed 3.68, the 5th most in the NHL. The Canadiens have accumulated just the 28th-highest expected goals per game this season.
Montreal has won just two of their previous six games on home ice against the Ottawa Senators.
Stats and Trends
Ottawa Senators
• Ottawa is 6-1 in their last 7 games against an opponent in the Eastern Conference
• The total has gone under in 6 of Ottawa’s last 9 games when playing on the road against Montreal
• The total has gone under in 4 of Ottawa’s last 5 games against an opponent in the Atlantic Division
Montreal Canadiens
• The total has gone under in 14 of Montreal’s last 20 games against Ottawa
• Montreal is 2-11 in their last 13 games against an opponent in the Eastern Conference
• Montreal is 1-4 in their last 5 games
The Betting Pick
Ottawa is bringing their three-game winning streak into this game, and with the Canadiens being so beat up right now, it’s clear to see why the sportsbooks have made the Ottawa Senators -200 favorites.
The Senators proved to us just days ago how superior they were in that 5-0 victory and although we suspect the Canadiens won’t go goalless tonight, we still like the Senators to win this game and believe the best value to be on the three-way line as they are available at only -110 compared to -200 NHL odds on the moneyline.
The Senators have only seen 5 of 23 road games end a tie after regulation, and the Canadiens 6 of 25 home games, plus it’s a slightly safer option than taking the -1.5 PK line, although we think they cover it again tonight. It’s best to be safe when on the road, especially when it’s a team performing below par this season.
The Senators are looking to extend their winning streak and make this playoff push, it’s hard to see where the motivation from the Canadiens is going to come from with their top goalscorer Cole Caulfield out for the rest of the season and already starting another second half of the season in the NHL dungeon.
Score Prediction: Ottawa Senators 4 – Montreal Canadiens 2
NHL Pick: Ottawa Senators in Regulation (-110) at FanDuel
