by Chuck Sommers
Tuesday, Jan 31, 2023
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Bell Centre, Montreal, QE
Where to watch: RDS, TSN2, TSN5
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Senators -180, Canadiens +155
FanDuel: Senators -192, Canadiens +158
BetMGM: Senators -175, Canadiens +145
Caesars: Senators -189, Canadiens +158
Season record
Senators: 23-23-3
Canadiens: 20-26-4
We’ve hit the halfway mark in the NHL season. Yes, you read that right. We’re really hit that halfway mark that quickly. If you blinked, you probably missed a lot of good things happen in the hockey world. And with football about to be out of the way, look for our champion handicappers to get back on the rink. Oskeim Sports is on a 13-5-0 run in the NHL over the last 30 days, as is Will Rogers. Sean Murphy has also cashed in with a 16-10-0 run in the last month. Make sure you’re following our champion handicappers at bigal.com to get on this winning action!
Senators - Canadiens preview, prediction and analysis
Recent results
Senators: won 5-0 vs. Canadiens
Canadiens: lost 5-0 at Senators
The Ottawa Senators will be playing the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, January 31 in Montreal.
The Ottawa Senators won against the Montreal Canadiens last Saturday, January 28 at Canadien Tire Centre in Ottawa with a score of 5-0. The Ottawa Senators currently rank 7th in the Atlantic Division.
Anton Forsberg made 28 saves, and the Ottawa Senators won their third straight game.
"Forsberg, he was the best player," Senators coach D.J. Smith said. "I don't know what the chances are, but they had lots in the first period. They had some posts. And that's expected, maybe [on a] back to back we're a little flat coming out, but I thought as the game went on we got to the net a bit and we got some turnovers."
Forsberg was playing for the second straight night after making 31 saves in a 6-2 win at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday.
"I don't really see it any different," Forsberg said of playing two nights in a row. "The players probably work harder than I do in a game a lot of times, so I would say it's harder for them to play in back to backs than a goalie."
Claude Giroux had two goals and an assist, and Nick Holden had two assists for Ottawa (23-23-3), which plays at Montreal on Tuesday.
"He's playing as good as I've seen him play," Smith said of Giroux. "I mean, he's playing off the cycle, he's blocking shots, he's winning face-offs for us, penalty killing, and he's making plays. You can't ask for much more from a veteran player."
Alex DeBrincat gave the Senators a 1-0 lead 22 seconds into the second period when he elected to shoot on a 2-on-1 and beat Montembeault with a wrist shot blocker side.
Giroux made it 2-0 on a power play at 7:59. Ridly Greig's centering pass made it through a maze of bodies in front to Giroux, who tapped the puck in from the edge of the crease.
"I think it was lucky, [that] would be the word," Giroux said. "I don't know if [Greig] tried to give it to me, but if he did, it was a great play. He's fun to play with. He competes. He's a very smart player and brings energy to the line, and we're just having fun."
Giroux increased the lead to 3-0 at 9:32 when his cross-slot pass attempt deflected in off Montreal defenseman Arber Xhekaj's skate. Giroux has eight points (four goals, four assists) during a four-game point streak.
Mathieu Joseph scored short-handed into an empty net to make it 4-0 at 18:34 of the third period.
Derick Brassard then converted on a breakaway with a wrist shot to the top right corner at 19:12 for the 5-0 final.
The Ottawa Senators have won five of their last 10 games.
The Montreal Canadiens lost against the Ottawa Senators last Saturday, January 28 in Ottawa with a score of 5-0. The Montreal Canadiens currently rank 8th in the Atlantic Division.
Sam Montembeault made 31 saves for Montreal.
"I liked all of our game, for the most part, except for maybe in the third we had some challenges getting to the net," Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. "... We had trouble getting in the zone and had a lack of execution. The intentions were right, but I would have liked to have seen us have more shots in the third."
"I think in the second period we had a couple of [penalty kills] and we lost momentum a little bit," Canadiens forward Christian Dvorak said. "They were opportunistic on their chances, and I think that cost us the game."
Montreal forward Owen Beck had 9:48 of ice time in his NHL debut.
"It was fast," Beck said. "I felt like my experience in preseason helped me slow the game down a little bit and not panic with the puck or anything like that. It was obviously very fast. The NHL's the best league in the world, right? But yeah, I felt like I was ready for it and handled it pretty well."
Beck was recalled from Peterborough of the Ontario Hockey League on Friday on an emergency basis. The Canadiens currently have nine injured forwards.
"It was a whirlwind 24 hours," Beck said. "It was super cool going to dinner with [Nick] Suzuki and the guys, like I mentioned earlier today. A lot of special things from my rookie lap to my first shift and the rest of the game and the people that were here to see me. It was a great experience. Obviously not the result we wanted, but hopefully there are lots more games to come that we'll win."
The Montreal Canadiens have won four of their last 10 games.
Prediction
Usually not one to take the team for the home-and-home sweep, but the Sens are on a roll right now. Senators 4, Canadiens 2
The Ottawa Senators will be playing the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, January 31 in Montreal.
The Ottawa Senators won against the Montreal Canadiens last Saturday, January 28 at Canadien Tire Centre in Ottawa with a score of 5-0. The Ottawa Senators currently rank 7th in the Atlantic Division.
Anton Forsberg made 28 saves, and the Ottawa Senators won their third straight game.
"Forsberg, he was the best player," Senators coach D.J. Smith said. "I don't know what the chances are, but they had lots in the first period. They had some posts. And that's expected, maybe [on a] back to back we're a little flat coming out, but I thought as the game went on we got to the net a bit and we got some turnovers."
Forsberg was playing for the second straight night after making 31 saves in a 6-2 win at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday.
"I don't really see it any different," Forsberg said of playing two nights in a row. "The players probably work harder than I do in a game a lot of times, so I would say it's harder for them to play in back to backs than a goalie."
Claude Giroux had two goals and an assist, and Nick Holden had two assists for Ottawa (23-23-3), which plays at Montreal on Tuesday.
"He's playing as good as I've seen him play," Smith said of Giroux. "I mean, he's playing off the cycle, he's blocking shots, he's winning face-offs for us, penalty killing, and he's making plays. You can't ask for much more from a veteran player."
Alex DeBrincat gave the Senators a 1-0 lead 22 seconds into the second period when he elected to shoot on a 2-on-1 and beat Montembeault with a wrist shot blocker side.
Giroux made it 2-0 on a power play at 7:59. Ridly Greig's centering pass made it through a maze of bodies in front to Giroux, who tapped the puck in from the edge of the crease.
"I think it was lucky, [that] would be the word," Giroux said. "I don't know if [Greig] tried to give it to me, but if he did, it was a great play. He's fun to play with. He competes. He's a very smart player and brings energy to the line, and we're just having fun."
Giroux increased the lead to 3-0 at 9:32 when his cross-slot pass attempt deflected in off Montreal defenseman Arber Xhekaj's skate. Giroux has eight points (four goals, four assists) during a four-game point streak.
Mathieu Joseph scored short-handed into an empty net to make it 4-0 at 18:34 of the third period.
Derick Brassard then converted on a breakaway with a wrist shot to the top right corner at 19:12 for the 5-0 final.
The Ottawa Senators have won five of their last 10 games.
The Montreal Canadiens lost against the Ottawa Senators last Saturday, January 28 in Ottawa with a score of 5-0. The Montreal Canadiens currently rank 8th in the Atlantic Division.
Sam Montembeault made 31 saves for Montreal.
"I liked all of our game, for the most part, except for maybe in the third we had some challenges getting to the net," Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. "... We had trouble getting in the zone and had a lack of execution. The intentions were right, but I would have liked to have seen us have more shots in the third."
"I think in the second period we had a couple of [penalty kills] and we lost momentum a little bit," Canadiens forward Christian Dvorak said. "They were opportunistic on their chances, and I think that cost us the game."
Montreal forward Owen Beck had 9:48 of ice time in his NHL debut.
"It was fast," Beck said. "I felt like my experience in preseason helped me slow the game down a little bit and not panic with the puck or anything like that. It was obviously very fast. The NHL's the best league in the world, right? But yeah, I felt like I was ready for it and handled it pretty well."
Beck was recalled from Peterborough of the Ontario Hockey League on Friday on an emergency basis. The Canadiens currently have nine injured forwards.
"It was a whirlwind 24 hours," Beck said. "It was super cool going to dinner with [Nick] Suzuki and the guys, like I mentioned earlier today. A lot of special things from my rookie lap to my first shift and the rest of the game and the people that were here to see me. It was a great experience. Obviously not the result we wanted, but hopefully there are lots more games to come that we'll win."
The Montreal Canadiens have won four of their last 10 games.
Prediction
Usually not one to take the team for the home-and-home sweep, but the Sens are on a roll right now. Senators 4, Canadiens 2
Betting trends
Senators are 2-10 after winning 4 or 5 of their last 6 this season.
Senators are 8-5 against division opponents this season.
Canadiens are 4-10 against division oponents this season.
Canadiens are 0-5 after 2 division games this season.
Projected lines
Senators:
Brady Tkachuk -- Tim Stutzle -- Mathieu Joseph
Alex DeBrincat -- Ridly Greig -- Claude Giroux
Derick Brassard -- Shane Pinto -- Drake Batherson
Parker Kelly -- Dylan Gambrell -- Austin Watson
Thomas Chabot -- Nick Holden
Jake Sanderson -- Travis Hamonic
Erik Brannstrom -- Nikita Zaitsev
Anton Forsberg
Brady Tkachuk -- Tim Stutzle -- Mathieu Joseph
Alex DeBrincat -- Ridly Greig -- Claude Giroux
Derick Brassard -- Shane Pinto -- Drake Batherson
Parker Kelly -- Dylan Gambrell -- Austin Watson
Thomas Chabot -- Nick Holden
Jake Sanderson -- Travis Hamonic
Erik Brannstrom -- Nikita Zaitsev
Anton Forsberg
Canadiens:
Rem Pitlick -- Nick Suzuki -- Josh Anderson
Mike Hoffman -- Kirby Dach -- Jesse Ylonen
Owen Beck -- Christian Dvorak -- Evgenii Dadonov
Michael Pezzetta -- Alex Belzile -- Rafael Harvey-Pinard
Mike Matheson -- David Savard
Arber Xhekaj -- Justin Barron
Jordan Harris -- Johnathan Kovacevic
Jake Allen
Rem Pitlick -- Nick Suzuki -- Josh Anderson
Mike Hoffman -- Kirby Dach -- Jesse Ylonen
Owen Beck -- Christian Dvorak -- Evgenii Dadonov
Michael Pezzetta -- Alex Belzile -- Rafael Harvey-Pinard
Mike Matheson -- David Savard
Arber Xhekaj -- Justin Barron
Jordan Harris -- Johnathan Kovacevic
Jake Allen
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
