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The battle for the top spot in the Atlantic Division rages on this Saturday night with the Montreal Canadiens squaring off against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre. Game time for this key divisional showdown has been set for 7 p.m. (ET).
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Montreal at Ottawa Game Overview<br />
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The Canadiens’ lead in the Atlantic Division stands at just one point following Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to Chicago as -120 home favorites. They have now lost two of their last three games after previously posting six wins in a row. Montreal now has a total of 86 points behind an overall record of 39-23-8. Its record on the road this season is 19-13-4 and the total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in seven of its last eight road games.
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Montreal battled back from a 3-0 deficit against the Blackhawks with a pair of goals by Paul Byron and Shea Weber late in the third period, but that was not enough to avoid the loss. Goalie Carey Price was tagged for three goals on a total of 26 shots. His goals-against average on the year currently stands at 2.27 with a .922 save percentage. Left winger Max Pacioretty continues to lead the team in both goals (33) and total points (60). He has tallied two goals and two assists in his last five games.
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The Senators come into the first game of this home-and-home series with back-to-back losses to Tampa Bay and Chicago at home. They lost to the Blackhawks 2-1 on Thursday night as +127 underdogs. The total stayed UNDER 5.5 in that game and it has stayed UNDER in three of their last four games. Ottawa had won its previous six games and its overall record now stands at 39-23-7 (85 points) with a 19-11-7 mark on its home ice.
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Scoring was not an issue during the Senators’ recent winning streak with an average of 3.5 goals during that six-game span. They are ranked 19th in the NHL in scoring with 2.6 goals per game. Defensively, Ottawa improves to ninth in the league when it comes to goals allowed (2.6). Kyle Turris scored the only goal in Thursday’s loss and Mike Condon turned away 26 of the 28 shots he faced in goal. Turris is the team’s leading goal scorer this season with 23. Condon has gotten the start in the Senators’ last two games in place of Craig Anderson, who is still dealing with a lower body injury.
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Montreal at Ottawa Game Betting Trends<br />
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The Canadiens are 6-1 in their last seven road games, but they are just 5-11 in their last 16 games against a team with a winning record. The total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in four of their last five division games.
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The Senators are 7-2 in their last nine games against a team with a winning record and they are 20-8 in their last 28 games playing on one day’s rest. The total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in 12 of their last 15 games played on Saturday.
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Head-to-head in this Atlantic Division tilt, Ottawa has won four of the last five meetings including the first two meetings this season by an identical 4-3 score. They total has stayed UNDER in five of the last six meetings in Ottawa.
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