Senators vs Canadiens Picks, Predictions, and Odds Tonight

Ottawa and Montreal are both on the second half of a back-to-back, which heightens the focus on minor edges. One is held quite strongly by the Canadiens, and it's why our NHL picks like them to keep it close vs. the Senators.

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The Ottawa Senators are on the road for the second straight night, traveling to meet the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night at the Bell Centre.

The Senators were blanked in Carolina on Friday night 4-0 and have produced just one goal in the past two games, both losses.

The Canadiens have recorded a pair of back-to-back 5-2 wins in New Jersey and Philadelphia, and have won five of their past seven games overall.

This is the fourth and final meeting of the regular season, and Ottawa has won each of the first three meetings. 

Can the Senators complete the regular-season sweep of the Canadiens, or will Montreal be able to grab at least one victory in the series? We’ll discuss in our NHL betting picks for the Senators vs. Canadiens on Saturday, February 25.

Senators vs Canadiens best odds

Senators vs Canadiens picks and predictions

Ottawa hasn’t had a lot of success on the current road trip, getting outscored 7-1, including a 4-0 loss on Friday night against the red-hot Hurricanes.

One might think that facing the Habs would be the elixir to cure their scoring ills, as the Senators have won all three regular-season meetings by a combined score of 13-6, which includes a 5-4 win at Bell Centre on January 31 in the second end of a back-to-back set.

While all of that looks like a great reason to back the Sens, the Canadiens have been playing with a ton of confidence and consistency lately.

The Habs have scored four or more goals in six of the past eight games, totaling 31 goals during the eight-game span, just shy of four goals per outing. At the other end, Montreal has allowed two or fewer goals in four of the past six contests. 

The Sens are projected to start Mads Sogaard (2-0-1, 2.85 GAA, .913 SV%) after Cam Talbot started Friday night. Samuel Montembeault (12-11-2, 3.24 GAA, .908 SV%) has been playing with a lot of confidence for the Habs lately, winning two of his past three starts.

Based on Ottawa’s dominance in this series this season, it’s hard to take Montreal straight up. But it’s a good move to back the Canadiens on the puck line, as the Senators are just struggling to light the lamp lately.

My best bet: Canadiens +1.5 (-165 at BetMGM)

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Senators vs Canadiens moneyline analysis

The Senators have picked up five straight wins in this series, but it won the only meeting in Montreal this season by just one goal.

Ottawa is also just 21-51 in the past 72 games when playing on no rest, and the Senators got into Montreal in the wee hours. The sleep after traveling from Raleigh overnight will likely not be quality.

The Canadiens have picked up five wins in the past seven games overall while going 5-2 in the past seven games when playing on no rest. It also was on the road Friday night, but Montreal won 5-2 in Philadelphia and arrived back home at 12:14 a.m. ET, while getting to sleep in their own beds rather than having to check into a hotel. There is a huge value to that comfort.

Montreal has been a hot play on the puck line lately, especially as an underdog. The Habs have won outright as an underdog in each of the past two games while cashing on the puck line in six of the last eight games overall. That includes the most recent meeting with the Sens in Montreal on January 31, a 5-4 loss on home ice as an underdog.

Senators vs Canadiens Over/Under analysis

The Senators have cashed the Over in five of the past seven games overall, although the Under is 5-2 in the past seven games on the road. The Under is also 37-16-2 in the past 55 games when playing on no rest.

For the Canadiens, the lean is to the Over lately. The Over has cashed in six of the past eight games overall while going 4-1-1 in the past six games on home ice.

In addition, the Habs have hit the Over at a 6-2 clip in the past eight games against teams with a losing record, while going 14-6-1 in the past 21 games when playing on no rest.

The Under cashed in the first two meetings in Ottawa while going 2-1 in the three meetings this season.

The lean is to the Under, as both teams are playing in the second end of a back-to-back set, and the legs should be awfully tired. Go low, and parlay it with a Canadiens puck line play for a nice parlay opportunity.

Senators vs Canadiens betting trend to know

The Senators are 21-51 in the past 72 games when playing on no rest, while the Canadiens have won five of the past seven outings in the second end of a back-to-back set. Find more NHL betting trends for Senators vs Canadiens.