Top spot in the Atlantic Division standings will be on the line on Saturday night when the first-place Montreal Canadiens visit the second-place Ottawa Senators as slim -115 road betting favourites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Montreal has won seven of its last nine games to maintain a narrow one-point lead over Ottawa heading into Saturday’s Canadiens vs. Senators betting matchup at Canadian Tire Centre, which marks the first half of a weekend home-and-home series between the rivals.
However, the Canadiens have stumbled in the past week, sandwiching a win over the Oilers at Edmonton last Sunday between a 5-0 blowout loss at the Calgary Flames last Thursday and a 4-2 loss at home against the Chicago Blackhawks in their most recent game on Tuesday. Montreal was a -120 home favourite against Chicago at the sportsbooks.
While their upcoming series with Ottawa makes this a bad time for a swoon, the Canadiens remain a strong road bet, claiming victory in seven of their past nine road outings while surrendering two or fewer goals on five occasions.
But Montreal has enjoyed little recent success against the resurgent Senators, coming up short in each of their past three meetings, according to the OddsShark NHL Database, including a 4-3 shootout loss in Ottawa as +101 underdogs on October 15.
The Canadiens then outshot Ottawa 39-23 in a 4-3 loss as heavy -200 home chalk on November 22, and face an Ottawa squad that played tight defence this week in back-to-back 2-1 losses to the Blackhawks and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Like Montreal, the Senators have soared in recent weeks, picking up wins in 12 of their past 18 games. Former Canadiens netminder Mike Condon has racked up an 18-12-6 record this season for the Senators, compiling a sparkling .943 save percentage in March despite taking the loss against both Chicago and Tampa Bay.
Backing up starter Craig Anderson, Condon has played a major role in holding opponents to just 15 total goals over the club’s past eight games, further fuelling a current 14-6-0 run for the UNDER in totals betting in Senators contests.
Following Saturday night’s tilt the scene shifts to the Bell Centre on Sunday for the second half of the home-and-home series. While the Canadiens have emerged as road warriors in recent weeks, they have enjoyed little home-ice advantage, posting just six victories in their past 18 home dates.
Offensive production has been at the root of Montreal’s home-ice woes, with Canadiens shooters scoring just 11 times over their past eight home games, including shutout losses to the Oilers and the New York Islanders.
The Canadiens also have just one win in their last four home dates with Ottawa, which went undefeated on a three-game western road trip earlier this month and is 7-2-0 in its past nine games on the road.
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