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Montreal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators Preview
The Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators will miss the 2024 National Hockey League playoffs. However, there’s pride on the line when the two Canadian sides meet for the last time this season on Saturday. The Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa hosts the game, with the puck drop at 7:00 PM ET.
Montreal won their latest contest against the Philadelphia Flyers, beating them by a six-point margin in front of a home crowd. However, the Canadiens have underperformed lately, losing three out of their last four games. The only positive is a victory over the Flyers to end the losing streak. The Senators have also struggled recently including a tough defeat against the Florida Panthers in their previous contest. Ottawa has also lost three out of their last four. But who will claim the bragging rights in an all-Canadian battle this weekend?
Montreal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators Head-to-Head and Key Stats
The Ottawa Senators are flawless against the Montreal Canadiens this season. The Canadian teams have met twice, but the Senators walked away victorious on both occasions. Ottawa’s latest victory over Montreal came in January, with the Senators winning by a three-point margin.
Ottawa controlled the game in January, taking the lead in the first period via Ridly Greig. The Senators were shorthanded, but Grieg found a gap near the crease and poked the puck home. With ten minutes left in the opener, a fast break from Ottawa doubled their advantage. Jake Sanderson posted his seventh goal of the season, with Montreal’s defense losing track of the defenseman. The Canadiens trailed by two points after the first period, seeking a rebound in the second. However, the Senators didn’t lose their momentum and scored a third unanswered goal. Claude Giroux assisted Shane Pinto’s first goal of the season, giving Ottawa a 3-0 lead heading into the third.
In the third period, the Montreal Canadiens finally got their first goal. Johnathan Kovacevic fired the puck past Joonas Korpisalo with an excellent shot from the blue line. However, the Canadiens didn’t have enough time to make a comeback. Mathieu Joseph killed the game with two minutes remaining, getting his eighth of the season. The Senators left Montreal with a 4-1 victory, and the outcome never looked in doubt.
The series’ first game between the Canadiens and Ottawa was also in January. The Senators were once again the better team, comfortably beating Montreal by a four-point margin. Brady Tkachuk opened the scoring in the first period, with his teammate Tim Stutzle doubling the Senators’ lead with under ten minutes left in the opener. Montreal scored the last goal of the period. Joonas Korpisalo got a hand to Cole Caufield’s shot, but the puck tumbled over the goal line. However, Ottawa showed their strength in the second period, scoring two more goals. Rourke Chartier got his second of the season, and Tarasenko gave the Senators a 4-1 lead heading into the third.
It took just two minutes for Ottawa to score again, with Mathieu Joseph posting his seventh goal in this campaign. With under eight minutes to go, Jake Sanderson assisted Parker Kelly, giving the Senators a staggering 6-1 lead. Michael Pezzetta reduced the deficit to four goals, but Ottawa destroyed the Canadiens 6-2 after three periods.
Despite the Ottawa Senators dominating their games against the Montreal Canadiens, the two sides are similar when looking at the statistics. Neither team capitalizes on power play situations, converting under 18% of PPs. Montreal has the better plenty-kill percentage, killing 76.6% compared to Ottawa’s 74.6%. However, Ottawa has been the more offensive team, scoring 3.09 goals per game. Montreal has also been successful in the offensive zone, but they’ve scored fewer with 2.79. The Senators and the Canadiens concede a similar number of goals per game. On average, Montreal allows 3.40, whereas Ottawa lets in 3.46.
Montreal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators Predictions
Correct Score Prediction: Ottawa Senators 5-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens haven’t beaten the Ottawa Senators this season, and we expect this trend to continue. Ottawa has won both of their previous meetings against the Canadiens in regular time, and we predict they will only need three periods this weekend. The Senators won by at least a three-point margin in their latest matchups, but we expect this contest to be closer.
The two sides are low-scoring compared to most NHL teams. However, we forecast over 7.5 goals on Saturday. Our correct score prediction is an Ottawa 5-3 win over Montreal. The Senators didn’t score against the Florida Panthers, but the Canadiens posted nine versus the Philadelphia Flyers. In both games against Montreal this campaign, the Senators have scored twice in the first period. We can capitalize on this pattern by using Novibet’s live betting features. If the Senators start fast, we can place a live bet on over 1.5 goals in the first period.
Mike Matherson and Drake Batherson are worth observing when picking player prop wagers. Matherson is not an established goalscorer, but the Montreal skater has eight points in his last five contests. These points came via assists, and we predict he’ll get over 0.5 points against the Senators. Batherson has 27 goals for Ottawa this season, and we expect him to add to his tally. We don’t predict he’ll get an assist, but betting on Batherson to get over 1.5 points is a great choice.
If the previous meetings taught us anything, the Ottawa Senators should dominate the Montreal Canadiens. However, there are still plenty of wagers to consider, so analyze our hockey betting markets before risking your hard-earned money. New Novibet customers can also receive a welcome bonus to offset some of the risk this weekend.
Practice vibes pic.twitter.com/zeSPIXf2bL
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) April 10, 2024
Montreal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators Betting Picks
Our sportsbook will favor the Ottawa Senators over the Montreal Canadiens. Ottawa has won their last two games against the Canadiens, and we predict they’ll win their final meeting this season. Betting on Ottawa via the moneyline won’t offer the best profits, with alternative markets usually providing the biggest returns when betting on hockey events.
If you’re looking for more player picks on Saturday, remember that assists count as points for the skater, creating some interesting bets when studying the rosters. Kaiden Guhle has 16 assists for the Canadiens, and we believe he’ll get over 0.5 points if he returns from his upper-body injury. However, our score prediction has Ottawa registering five goals, so there’s a better chance of landing a player pick when betting on the Senators. Jake Sanderson affects Ottawa positively, with a +9 plus/minus this season. Sanderson also has 25 assists, so wagering on the defenseman to get over 0.5 points is a fantastic option.
Some of the largest returns are on the correct score market. We predict the Senators will notch a 5-3 victory over Montreal. However, landing a correct score wager when betting on the NHL is tough, so we prefer the over/under goals market. Wagering on over 7.5 points is safer than betting on an exact scoreline. The Montreal fans don’t have many options when searching for winning bets this weekend. However, the handicap market provides an attractive way to wager on the Canadiens. Adding 3.5+ points to Montreal returns a winning bet if our score prediction is accurate. The profits on this wager will be low, but it’s one of the few ways to support the Canadiens in this contest.
In the previous meetings between the two teams, the Senators have opened the scoring. Our sportsbook offers the first team to score market on all NHL games. Using that market, we can bet on Ottawa to score the opener, which seems likely given their history against the Canadiens. Brady Tkachuk and Ridly Greig were the opening goalscorers of the series’ last two games.
Transaction Alert 📰
The Montreal Canadiens have called up Justin Barron from the Laval Rocket (AHL).
The Halifax, Nova Scotia product has played 41 games with the Habs this season, recording 12 points (6G,6A).#GoHabsGo #MaritimeHockey #NovaScotia #Barron pic.twitter.com/ZA2o8guyzH
— Maritime Hockey (@HockeyMaritime) April 6, 2024
Montreal Canadiens Team News
Two defensemen could be missing for the Montreal Canadiens this weekend. An upper-body injury prevented Kaiden Guhle from playing in the Canadiens’ mid-week game, but his condition is improving. However, Arber Xhekaj received alarming news this week. A shoulder injury has destroyed his season, and Xhekaj will undergo surgery soon. The defensemen won’t return until the 2024-25 campaign.
With Xhekaj sidelined for the rest of the season, the Canadiens have replaced him with Justin Barron. Montreal recalled the defenseman from the Laval Rocket in the American Hockey League. But Barron is no stranger to the National Hockey League, playing 44 games in the NHL this season. The 22-year-old has posted 12 points (6G, 6A) during these contests and will have the rest of the campaign to prove himself at the top level.
Ottawa Senators Team News
The Ottawa Senators will probably be without Tim Stutzle this weekend. The center is recovering from an upper-body injury and could return on Thursday at the earliest. However, Stutzle has missed multiple games because of the injury, so we can’t guarantee he’ll return on Saturday. At the start of the month, the Senators recalled Bokondji Imama from the Belleville Senators in the American Hockey League. Imama has played four games in the NHL, notching zero points during these appearances. The forward has spent most of his campaign in the AHL, where he’s posted ten points (3G, 7A) in 53 contests.
