NHL Saturday Night: Sens at Habs
CANADIAN CLUB ON A SATURDAY NIGHT: SENS AT HABS
There are two intra-Canadian games on Saturday. The late game should be a thriller, as the 1st-place Calgary Flames head to Vancouver, which is fighting for a playoff spot.
The early game doesn't have as much on the line, but there's still possible money to make with a wager or two, and besides -- who doesn't love watching the Sens tangle with the Habs?
Even bad hockey can be great money when there's money on the line.
The Ottawa Senators (21-34-5) visit Centre Bell to take on the Montreal Canadiens (16-36-9). The puck drops at 7:00 pm ET.
The major concern for Montreal is injuries. The Canadiens bench looks like an infirmary. Forwards Nick Suzuki, Paul Byron, Artturi Lehkonen, and Brendan Gallagher all missed practice with ailments and underwent treatments this week. Then, there's Jonathan Drouin, who hasn't been on the ice since Jan. 20. In more positive news, star goaltender Carey Price skated before practice and took another step in his rehabilitation.
EXPERT OPINION (courtesy of Pointspreads.ca):
It's tempting to play the Senators given their Canadiens' injury situation, especially since the dog is priced at 2.25. Instead, we lean to UNDER the number, so long as the O/U stays at 6 or higher.
Both teams have gone 5-5 to the O/U in their last 10, but seem to play lower-scoring games when facing weaker opposition -- and both offenses here look weak.
The Sens could be fatigued after their Friday night game, but the Habs lack a lot of punch to send this one over. So, UNDER 6 goals is our lean.
