Ottawa Senators vs Montreal Canadiens: Game preview, predictions and odds | March 18, 2025

The Ottawa Senators are on the road to play the Montreal Canadiens in a pivotal game for the playoffs on Tuesday at 7 p.m. EDT.

Ottawa (36-25-5) is coming off a 4-2 win over Toronto. Montreal (32-27-7), meanwhile, is coming off a 3-1 win over Florida.

Senators vs Canadiens: Head-to-head & key stats

• Ottawa is 81-72-5-11 all-time against Montreal
• The Senators are 16-16-3 on the road
• Montreal is allowing 3.24 goals per game
• Ottawa is averaging 2.93 goals per game
• The Canadiens are averaging 2.95 goals per game
• The Sens are allowing 2.8 goals per game
• Montreal is 17-12-4 on the road

Ottawa Senators vs Montreal Canadiens: Preview

Ottawa is riding a six-game winning streak and is firmly in a playoff spot. The Senators are led by Tim Stutzle who has 68 points, Drake Batherson has 54 points, Brady Tkachuk has 53 points and Jake Sanderson has 46 points.

The Senators are expected to start Linus Ullmark who's 18-11-3 with a 2.66 GAA and .911 SV%. In his career against Montreal, he's 3-3 with a 3.44 GAA and a .869 SV%.

Montreal, meanwhile, is coming off a 3-1 win over Florida and is battling for a Wild Card spot. The Canadiens are expected to start Sam Montembeault who's 24-21-4 with a 2.83 GAA and a .901 SV%. In his career against Ottawa, he's 2-3 with a 3.06 GAA and a .893 SV%.

The Canadiens are led by Nick Suzuki who has 69 points, Cole Caufield has 61 points, Lane Hutson has 52 points and Juraj Slafkovsky has 41 points.

Senators vs Canadiens: Odds & Prediction

Ottawa is a -142 favorite, while Montreal is a +120 underdog, with the over/under set at 5.5 goals.

The Senators are coming off an emotional win over Toronto and have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL. However, the Sens will likely have a letdown spot soon and this is a good spot for that to happen.

Montreal has played well at home this season, as the Canadiens are battling for a playoff spot and will edge out a home win.

Prediction: Canadiens 3, Senators 2.

Senators vs Canadiens: Betting Tips

Tip 1: Montreal ML (+120)

Tip 2: Under 5.5 goals (+100)

Tip 3: Drake Batherson 2+ shots on goal (-150)