The Montreal Canadiens (19-18-7) travel to face off against the Ottawa Senators (15-24-0) on Thursday, January 18th. This game will be played at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa and televised on ESPN+. The Canadiens are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Senators are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Avalanche. Puck drop is set for 7:00 ET.

Canadiens vs Senators

The Montreal Canadiens Are Coming Off A Win

Montreal enters the game with a record of 19-18-7 and is currently in 13th place in the Eastern Conference. In the Atlantic Division, the Canadiens are in 6th place. Over their last ten games, Montreal has gone 4-6. On the road this season, the Canadiens are 10-7-4, and they have won their last two games.

As the underdog, Montreal has a record of 16-17-7 this season. In games against other teams in the Eastern Conference, the Canadiens have gone 10-12. Over their last three games, Montreal has won two games. For the year, the Canadiens have been the underdog in 40 of their 44 games.

Montreal enters the game with a puck line record of 28-16, including going 4-1 vs. the puck line in their last five games. So far this season, the Canadiens have had 14 wins by a single goal and 13 losses by one goal. On the road, Montreal’s puck line record is 15-6, and they have gone 8-2 vs. the puck line in their last ten road games.

As the underdog, the Canadiens have a puck line record of 28-12, including winning their last five games when getting +1.5 goals. In their last three road games, Montreal has gone 3-0 vs. the puck line, and their average scoring margin on the road is -.3 goals per game.

In their most recent matchup, the Canadiens played against the Devils and won with a score of 3-2. The Canadiens’ offense scored in each period against the Devils. All three goals came at even strength. They finished with 25 shots on goal and had 5 turnovers.

Entering the game as the underdog, Montreal came away with a victory against the puck line. The game finished below the over/under line of 6.5 with a combined total of 5 goals.

The Ottawa Senators Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

At home this season, the Senators have gone 11-11-0, and they have been favored in 17 of their 39 games. Over their last ten games, Ottawa has gone just 3-7, and they are currently on a three-game winning streak when favored.

So far this season, Ottawa has gone 15-24-0 overall, and they are 16th in the Eastern Conference. Against other teams in the Eastern Conference, the Senators have gone 11-12, and in the Atlantic Division, they are 8th with a 6-6 record.

When playing at home, Ottawa has a puck line record of 9-13 this season and their average scoring margin is at .0 goals per game. So far this year, the Senators have gone 11-19 vs. the puck line when losing by more than one goal.

Currently, Ottawa’s puck line record is at 15-24, and their average scoring differential is at -.4 goals per game. In their last ten home games, the Senators have gone just 4-6 vs. the puck line.

The Senators are looking to bounce back from a 7-4 loss at home to the Avalanche. In the offensive department, the Senators notched one goal during the first period and three times in the second period. Of Ottawa’s four goals, one came while in power play. They ended the game with 40 shots on goal and had 11 giveaways.

Ottawa entered as the underdog and suffered both a straight-up loss and did not cover the puck line. The combined total of 11 goals exceeded the over/under line, which was set at 7 goals for the game.

Montreal Offense Breakdown

In terms of their offensive performance, the Canadiens are averaging 2.7 goals per game this season, putting them in the 27th spot in the NHL. When it comes to shots on goal per game, they are ranked 27th in the league. Montreal’s offense is currently ranked 19th in power play goals. When it comes to shorthanded goals, they are 13th in the league.

This season, the Canadiens have an over/under record of 22-21-1. Throughout last season, they played 42 games that did not exceed the 6.5 over/under line. On average, their games featured 6.6 goals per game.

Senators Offense Breakdown

On offense, the Senators are averaging 3.3 goals per game which is 19th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are 24th in the league. Coming into the game, the Senators have a 9-14 record when they have more shots on goal than their opponent. When they have fewer shots on goal, they are 6-10.

The Senators’ over/under record this season is 22-14-3. For the season, they have had 25 games that surpassed this game’s over/under line of 6.5. Overall, their games are averaging7.1 goals per game.

Montreal Team Defense

The Canadiens’ defense comes into the game with a ranking of 31st in takeaways and an average of 5.1 takeaways per contest. They hold 3rd place in the NHL for goals allowed, with an average of 3.2 goals given up per game.

Ottawa Team Defense

Defensively, the Senators are currently 29th in goals allowed. On average, opponents are taking 31.2 shots per game against Ottawa. They also are 26th in shutouts, coming in with 1 shutouts.

Canadiens vs Senators Trends

• When looking at their past five road matchups, Montreal has an puck line record of 4-1 while averaging 2 per game. The team went 2-3 overall in these games.
• When looking at their past three home matchups, Ottawa has an puck line record of 1-2 while averaging 4 per game. The team went 2-1 overall in these games.
• Going back to their last ten games as the underdog, the Senators have a straight up record of 1-9. But, their mark vs the puck line was just 1-9.
• Going back to their last ten games as the favorite, the Canadiens have a straight up record of 6-4. But, their mark vs the puck line was just 2-8.

Canadiens vs Senators Prediction

When it comes to a moneyline wager, I’m going with the Canadiens to defeat the Senators while playing on the road. Given the current moneyline odds at +147, I’m placing a wager on the Canadiens to win outright.

Our projections have the Canadiens pulling out a win as the underdog. But if you’re not as bullish as we are on the Canadiens, we’d recommend at least getting a bet down on them to cover the puck line.

When considering the over/under line, which is currently at 6.5 goals, we believe that this game will go over that threshold, and we recommend wagering on the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.