NHL Hockey Betting: Montreal Canadiens at Ottawa Senators

The NHL hockey season is only a few days old but if any matchup can be called important at this stage this is it. Both the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators are 2-0 on the season and looking to improve on a successful year in 2014-2015. The Canadiens were sent packing by eventual Eastern Conference Champions Tampa Bay in the playoffs–after eliminating Ottawa in the previous round. The Senators were one of the more interesting stories of last season. They looked to be going nowhere until the #3 goalie on the depth chart–Andrew Hammond aka ‘The Hamburgler’ took over the team with a downright amazing run during which he lost only one regular season game in regulation.

Unfortunately for the Senators, Hammond is currently sidelined with a groin injury. Several days ago the word was that ‘The Hamburgler’ would be sidelined for two weeks but now he says he’s feeling better and the team is considering him ‘day to day’. Of course groin injuries are tricky things and tough to recover from completely. It’s unlikely that Hammond will play for a week or so. Besides, there’s no reason to rush him back since the Sens have won their first two games with Craig Anderson between the pipes. The Habs clearly have no issues in goal–what they do have is the best goalie on the planet in defending Vezina/Hart Trophy winner Carey Price. Price will get the day off here, however, and backup Mike Condon will get the start. Condon is capable, but it is a suggestion that this game might be a ‘flat spot’ for the Habs.

Tough handicap–the numbers suggest that Montreal is the play as a short priced underdog. But this might be a lookahead situation for the Habs with a road game against Pittsburgh on Tuesday and a home game against the Rangers after that. There’s never any shortage of bad blood between these teams but this game appears to ‘mean more’
to the home team. Sens stepping up in class for the first time this year after opening the season against bottom feeders Toronto and Buffalo. This won’t be the strongest play of the year but we’ll go with the Senators.

BET OTTAWA SENATORS -125 OVER MONTREAL CANADIENS