The Montreal Canadiens will hit the ice on Saturday for the first of two Super Bowl weekend matinees at Bell Centre as they take on the Anaheim Ducks as -105 underdogs on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Montreal is coming off a disappointing 2-0 loss in Carolina as a +137 underdog on Thursday, and has now dropped three straight going into Saturday afternoon’s Ducks vs. Canadiens betting matchup.
The Canadiens have tallied just one win in their past five home dates, while their current 7-13-3 run has dropped them well out of contention in the Eastern Conference. Montreal now trails by double digits in the hunt for the final wild card spot, and joins Detroit, Florida, and Ottawa at +20000 on the Stanley Cup odds after opening the campaign at +1500.
The Ducks are coming off a 2-1 loss as -153 chalk in Ottawa on Thursday, but have gone 11-4-2 over their past 17 outings to climb into third place in the Pacific Division. However, Anaheim has been held to a single goal on three occasions during a middling 2-2-2 run on the road.
Montreal will then aim for a fourth straight home victory over the visiting Senators on Sunday afternoon. The Canadiens held Ottawa to a single goal in each of those wins but dropped a 3-0 decision in Ottawa as a -115 wager on Dec. 16.
The Senators visit the struggling Philadelphia Flyers as +140 underdogs on Saturday afternoon after ending a six-game losing streak with Thursday’s victory over the Ducks as +138 home chalk. Ottawa has recorded just one win in 13 road outings since Dec. 1, but faces a Flyers squad that has surrendered 14 total goals during a three-game slide.
Later on Saturday, the Toronto Maple Leafs travel to Boston as +120 underdogs in a crucial Atlantic Division matchup with the rival Bruins.
The Maple Leafs have played some of their best hockey of the season during a four-game winning streak, and have outgunned opponents by a 13-1 margin over their past three, including a crushing 4-0 victory over the New York Rangers as +109 underdogs on Thursday.
However, Toronto remains three points back of second-place Boston, which has rocketed to a +750 Stanley Cup bet during an impressive 15-1-4 run.
Elsewhere on the Saturday NHL odds, the Winnipeg Jets look to increase their lead atop the Central Division as they host the surprising Colorado Avalanche as -160 favourites. The Vancouver Canucks battle the Stanley Cup favourite Tampa Bay Lightning as +135 underdogs, while the Calgary Flames host the Chicago Blackhawks as narrow -120 chalk.
For more odds info, picks and a breakdown of this week’s top sports betting news check out the OddsShark podcast with Jon Campbell and Andrew Avery. Subscribe on iTunes, or check it out at OddsShark.libsyn.com.
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