NHL Betting – Canadiens-Senators Preview

Montreal Canadiens (25-25-5) @ Ottawa Senators (30-21-4)
Hockey : North America : NHL
Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Start 2:00PM (ET)

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Super Bowl Sunday is fast approaching and Super Bowl XLIV Odds are on every sport fans mind, but for the true hockey fans, there is some outstanding on ice action this weekend. Here is a preview of the Saturday, January 30th matchup between the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Canadiens.

Located only hours from each other, it is always a heated battle when the Ottawa Senators face-off against the Montreal Canadiens. Right now, these division rivals are fighting for playoff positioning before the Olympic break. Ottawa, who has been on fire lately will try to keep Montreal on the playoff bubble.

Key matchup to watch :

Goaltending will be the key matchup to watch in this game. In Ottawa, the Senators have been riding the hot play of young Brian Elliott. After incumbent starter Pascal Leclaire went down with an injury, Elliott was given the opportunity to play. He hasn’t looked back since stealing several wins in his last ten starts.

Montreal on the other hand, is in the midst of a goaltending crisis. Carey Price has lost the confidence the young goaltender showed in the playoffs two seasons ago. Now, he struggles to stay in the net and has been mercilessly booed by the Montreal crowds.

Jaroslav Halak has saved the Canadiens of late including multiple shutouts in the month of January. Halak is slated to start between the pipes for Slovakia in the upcoming Olympics.

The team with the hottest netminder will likely prevail in this matchup.

What Montreal Needs to do to Win

Big players must step up : In the offseason, the Montreal Canadiens made several key acquisitions including Mike Cammalleri, Brian Gionta, and Scott Gomez.

Cammalleri is holding up his end of a his large contract, however, Gionta and Gomez must step up their play for the team to succeed. Playing against the red hot Senators, players such as Gomez (7 goals) and Gionta (13 goals) must put out solid efforts and light the lamp.

Find team unity : When playing at home, it’s easy to stay unified behind the incredible Montreal home crowd. On the road and in recent weeks however, the Canadiens have found themselves in the news for several intra-team quarrels.

The veterans on the Canadiens roster must calm the rumbles and keep this team afloat. After an embarrassing loss to Tampa Bay earlier this week, the morale in the Canadiens locker room is likely to be low, which may hinder their on ice performance.

What Ottawa Needs to do to Win :

Stay out of the penalty box : Montreal has the second best power play in the National Hockey League behind only Washington. Quarterbacked by Marc-Andre Bergeron and fuelled by Tomas Plekanec, the Montreal power play has been almost unstoppable this season.

Alternatively, Ottawa’s power play is dead last in the NHL. For the Ottawa Senators to win this game, they can’t afford to get into a physical, penalty filled game because Montreal has a clear advantage in special teams.

Keep their energy high : Whatever coach Cory Clouston has been telling the Ottawa Senators in their dressing room must continue. Riding a long winning streak through January, the Senators are climbing the Eastern Conference ladder.

If Montreal should score an early goal, the Senators coach must be able to rally his team. Clouston, now emerging as a coach of the year nominee, will also have Jason Spezza back in the line-up this weekend. This should give the Senators an added offense jolt.

The Betting Verdict :

Ottawa might be too much for the big and slow Canadiens defence.

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Take OTTOWA on the ML