PREMIUM
Rogers' 10* ICE BREAKER >> INCREDIBLE 11-1 L12 NHL Sides!
(NHL) Ottawa vs. Montreal,
Money Line: -127.00 Montreal (Home)
Result: Win
Money Line: -127.00 Montreal (Home)
Result: Win
The set-up: The Montreal Canadiens have won back-to-back games, as No. 1 goalie Carey Price has been spectacular since returning from a lengthy injury absence. Montreal ended a five-game slide with Saturday's 3-0 win over Buffalo and then won again Monday, 3-1 over Columbus (both wins came on home ice). Price has been terrific, turning aside 73 of 74 shots in the two starts. Facing Price and a revitalized Montreal squad couldn't come at a worse time for punch-less Ottawa, which is kicking off a seven-game road trip with this contest and has scored a total of eight goals during a six-game skid (0-5-1).
Ottawa: The Senators have fallen to 8-8-6 on the season, although Matt Duchene, acquired from Colorado earlier this month to bolster the offense, finally scored his first point and first goal in his eighth game with Ottawa (some boost!). If that isn't bad enough, Bobby Ryan has yet to score this season and star defenseman Erik Karlsson, who has only one goal, has failed to record a point during the six-game skid. Derick Brassard got off to a fast start with six goals in the first eight games but has been blanked over the past 14 games.
Montreal: "I think we're still relying on Carey too much. We've got to be playing better in front of him. But, we know he's got our back," said teammate Andrew Shaw after the Canadiens halted Columbus' six-game winning streak. "He's healthy. He's hungry. He's excited. He's been our best player, for sure, the last two games." Captain Max Pacioretty, who has scored at least 30 goals in each of the past four seasons, has notched only one assist over the past seven games and was demoted from the No. 1 line. Pacioretty also was not working with the top power-play unit at Tuesday's practice. "We want our special teams to be better," head coach Claude Julien explained. The game against the Senators starts a stretch of three games in four nights against division rivals for the Canadiens. They play the Detroit Red Wings in a home-and-home Thursday in Detroit and Saturday in Montreal.
The pick: The back-to-back victories have enabled the Canadiens (10-12-3) to leapfrog the Senators (8-8-6) into fifth place in the Atlantic Division ,although though the Senators have three games in hand. The Senators have dropped four in a row against Montreal, including an 8-3 drubbing in Ottawa on Oct. 30 in the only meeting this season. Price is 20-8-4 with a 2.37 goals-against average versus the Senators all-time and faces a team which has scored only eight goals during a six-game slide and has scored just once in its last 23 power-play chances. Make Montreal a 10* play.
Ottawa: The Senators have fallen to 8-8-6 on the season, although Matt Duchene, acquired from Colorado earlier this month to bolster the offense, finally scored his first point and first goal in his eighth game with Ottawa (some boost!). If that isn't bad enough, Bobby Ryan has yet to score this season and star defenseman Erik Karlsson, who has only one goal, has failed to record a point during the six-game skid. Derick Brassard got off to a fast start with six goals in the first eight games but has been blanked over the past 14 games.
Montreal: "I think we're still relying on Carey too much. We've got to be playing better in front of him. But, we know he's got our back," said teammate Andrew Shaw after the Canadiens halted Columbus' six-game winning streak. "He's healthy. He's hungry. He's excited. He's been our best player, for sure, the last two games." Captain Max Pacioretty, who has scored at least 30 goals in each of the past four seasons, has notched only one assist over the past seven games and was demoted from the No. 1 line. Pacioretty also was not working with the top power-play unit at Tuesday's practice. "We want our special teams to be better," head coach Claude Julien explained. The game against the Senators starts a stretch of three games in four nights against division rivals for the Canadiens. They play the Detroit Red Wings in a home-and-home Thursday in Detroit and Saturday in Montreal.
The pick: The back-to-back victories have enabled the Canadiens (10-12-3) to leapfrog the Senators (8-8-6) into fifth place in the Atlantic Division ,although though the Senators have three games in hand. The Senators have dropped four in a row against Montreal, including an 8-3 drubbing in Ottawa on Oct. 30 in the only meeting this season. Price is 20-8-4 with a 2.37 goals-against average versus the Senators all-time and faces a team which has scored only eight goals during a six-game slide and has scored just once in its last 23 power-play chances. Make Montreal a 10* play.
