Ottawa Senators vs Montreal Canadiens Betting Pick & Prediction 3/18/25

Don’t miss out on the NHL showdown between the Senators and Canadiens. The game is starting at 7:00 ET on ESPN+, and it’s hosted by the Canadiens at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC. Get ready to place your bets! The Senators are the -1.5 goal favorites in this Atlantic division matchup against the Canadiens. The over/under for the game is set at 5.5 goals.

OTTAWA SENATORS VS MONTREAL CANADIENS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Montreal Canadiens +1.5

This game will be played at Bell Centre at 7:00 ET on Tuesday, March 18th.

WHY BET THE MONTREAL CANADIENS:

• With a 1.5 goal advantage on the spread, our projections favor the Senators to secure a 4-3 victory.
• Take the Senators on the moneyline
• On the puck line, we like Canadiens (+1.5)

Can the Senators Offense Score Enough in Montreal?

With a 3-0 win over the Kraken, the Senators improved to 36-25-5. Ottawa covered the puck line as -1.5 goal favorites, and the total was set at 6.5 goals, but the combined score of 3 fell well short of that mark.

All three of Ottawa’s goals came from different players. Adam Gaudette opened the scoring at 5:28 in the first period, followed by goals from Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stützle. The Senators’ defense held Seattle to 22 shots, all stopped by Anton Forsberg.

Ottawa’s offense was highlighted by Tim Stützle’s 6th goal of the season, which came on an empty net with 2:14 left in the game. Earlier, Adam Gaudette opened the scoring with his 7th goal at 14:32 in the first period, followed by Brady Tkachuk, who also netted his 7th goal at 8:49 in the second period.

The Senators took 23 shots on goal and recorded 11 giveaways. They finished with 5 assists, including Tim Stützle’s 10th of the season on Tkachuk’s goal.

Defensively, the Senators were excellent, shutting out Seattle in a 3-0 win. Goalie Anton Forsberg made 22 saves with a perfect 100% save percentage. Ottawa’s defense also contributed 2 takeaways and 25 hits.

Will Montreal Come Through as Home Underdogs?

Montreal fell to 32-27-7 with a 3-1 road loss to the Penguins. The Canadiens, as puck line underdogs, failed to cover. The total was set at 6.5 goals, but the combined score of 4 fell short of that mark.

All of the Canadiens’ scoring came in the third period, after they had already given up two goals. Christian Dvorak scored at 14:28 in the third to cut the deficit to 2-1, but the Penguins added an empty-net goal to seal the win.

Montreal managed just one goal in their recent 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh, with Christian Dvorak scoring his first of the season. Dvorak found the net 5:32 into the third period, after the Canadiens were held scoreless in the first two periods.

Juraj Slafkovsky recorded his 7th assist of the season, while Emil Heineman added his first. Montreal took 26 shots on goal but struggled with giveaways, committing 20 in the game.

Montreal’s defense gave up the first two goals in their previous game, with both coming from Sidney Crosby. The first was at 15:57 in the first period, and the second was a power-play goal at 18:40 in the second. The Canadiens made it 2-1 in the third, but an empty-net goal from Pittsburgh sealed the game at 3-1. Goalie Sam Montembeault made 21 saves with a 91.3% save percentage, while the defense added 28 hits and 4 takeaways.