| The surging Montreal Canadiens can move to within one point of the Northeast division rival Ottawa Senators – and top spot in the Eastern Conference – with a win over the Senators tonight at the Bell Centre.
The teams have been headed in opposite directions, as Montreal is 6-3-1 in its past 10, while Ottawa is 3-7-0. Ottawa still leads the East, and is second in the NHL, with 68 points, but Montreal has crept up to 65 points with its recent run.
But Ottawa has an edge over the past 10 head-to-head meetings, going 7-3-0. The clubs last squared off on Nov. 19, when the Senators doubled the Canadiens 4-2 in Montreal.
Ottawa (32-17-4) gave up two third-period goals in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Maple Leafs in Toronto, falling as -125 road favorites. The score was a “Push” with the over/under total of 6. The Canadiens (28-16-9) lost 5-3 to the New York Rangers as a -125 favorite, also Saturday. The score was over the total of 5.
Over/under bettors should note a huge Over trend: The total has gone Over in four of the past five meetings, in four of Ottawa's past five on the road, in four of Ottawa's past six, and in four of Montreal’s past six.
Martin Gerber gets the start in net for Ottawa, while Cristobal Huet will start for Montreal.
BETTING LINE: The Canadiens are -130 moneyline favorites at BodogLife, while the total is 5½.
BETTING CONSENSUS: Despite Montreal’s hot streak, hockey bettors apparently like the Senators as the underdog – nearly 61 per cent of wagers are on an Ottawa win. |
