Montreal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators Betting Picks

Montreal and Ottawa rank second and ninth, respectively, in scoring, but lately these two teams have been trending to lower-scoring games. Ottawa has allowed the fewest goals per game at 2.08 during its last dozen games. The Senators also have allowed the fewest expected goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 on home ice. Linus Ullmark has been confirmed as Ottawa's goalie today, and he has a strong .908 SV% and 2.34 GAA at home this season. This is a huge game for Ottawa, as it is five points out of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. So the Senators should stick to their defensive blueprint, which has resulted in three straight wins and five goals allowed over this span. The Canadiens just defeated the Maple Leafs, 3-1, yesterday, with their third goal coming on an empty net. They held Toronto to only 18 shots on goal. Montreal has given up three or fewer goals during regulation in nine of its last 11 games. Take the UNDER.

Ottawa goes for its third win in a row after defeating Vancouver and the New York Rangers on consecutive nights. The Senators jumped out to a 6-0 lead over the Rangers before winning 8-4, and Leevi Merilainen had 18 saves. Montreal has lost two straight and three of four, including a 5-3 defeat against Buffalo on Thursday. Jacob Fowler allowed four goals against the Sabres, and Sam Montembeault is expected to be back in the crease tonight. He owns a 3.35 goals-against average and a .874 save percentage. The Senators are 9-2 when their opponent allowed at least five goals in its previous game, and they have won five of seven following a win. The UNDER is 4-0-1 in Ottawa's past five games against teams that allowed at least five goals in their previous game. The Canadiens have stayed UNDER four of five Saturday games, and they are 4-1 UNDER when their opponent scored at least five goals in their previous game. Take the Senators on the puckline and the UNDER.

Ottawa is out for payback for a 4-3 overtime loss in the first meeting on Nov. 1 as the Senators also look to snap a current two-game skid. They are 6-0 in their past six games after scoring two or fewer goals in their previous game, 5-0 when their opponent allowed at least five goals in their last game. Montreal comes off a 7-2 loss to Colorado, and the Canadiens have lost four straight after scoring two or fewer goals. Montreal has lost five of six against the Eastern Conference and six of nine games overall. Sam Montembeault will start for the Canadiens, and he is 5-5-1 with a 3.48 goals-against average and an .864 save percentage. Montembeault had lost four straight decisions before finally getting a win against Vegas. Take the Senators on the puckline. 

Montreal has won eight of its last 10 games. The Canadians are mainly doing it with offense, averaging 3.64 goals per game. That ranks seventh in the NHL. Look for the Canadians to light up the net with plenty of goals against Ottawa in what should be a high-scoring game. The Senators rank 29th defensively, giving up 3.9 goals a game. They are 31st in the penalty kill. The Canadiens have improved their scoring depth, are playing faster, and have been more explosive than they have in years. They rank seventh on the power play. The OVER cashed in each of Montreal's last three games. The Canadians have scored four or more goals in four of their previous five games. The Canadians will have fresh legs, having last played on Tuesday. Ottawa has gone OVER in each of its past four games. The Senators are averaging 5.2 goals during these last four games. This is the first meeting between the two teams this season. The OVER cashed in each of the past three meetings last season. Montreal beat Ottawa in three of the four games last season. Take the Canadians on the puckline and take the OVER.