The Ottawa Senators (44-27-8-7) managed to not get swept out of the first round of the playoffs.
Unfortunately for them, that's probably as far as they'll get against the Montreal Canadiens (53-23-5-5) now that they have to go back to the Bell Centre on Friday night.
ODDS ANALYSIS
Expect to see the Habs listed as comfortable favorites in this game. They were -138 and -135 favorites in Games 1 and 2 respectively, and they weren't badly outplayed in either Games 3 or 4 in Ottawa even though they were short underdogs in each instance.
The total keeps dipping though, and we aren't sure that it is warranted. Remember that each of the first six meetings between these two this year reached at least five goals, and seeing that threshold reached again in this game wouldn't be shocking, especially after there were a total of just four goals scored in the two games in Ottawa.
GOALIE REPORT
Of course, if you only have four goals being scored in two games, you've got two pretty darn good goaltenders, too.
The move to Craig Anderson in net has proven to be genius for the Sens. He has a 0.93 GAA, and after his Game 4 showing, he is one of the three proud owners of a shutout here in this postseason.
Carey Price, of course, has just been Carey Price. The sure-to-be Vezina finalist has a 1.67 GAA in the four games in this series, and he has a stunning .946 save percentage as well.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"We weren't going to win four games here tonight. It's one. We're moving on to the next one now, and we know we have work to do." – Ottawa winger Mike Hoffman, who scored the only goal in Game 4 to keep the Senators' season alive
SITUATIONAL BETTING
Early in this series, the Canadiens really looked dangerous on the power play. They did only score on 1-of-7 chances here at the Bell Centre, but they also chimed a couple off of the post that could have made those stats look a lot better. Since then though, Montreal has gone 0-for-9 on the man advantage, and that absolutely has to improve to put Ottawa away.
PROP TALK
Where art thou, P.K. Subban? The slick defenseman with a rocket for a shot hasn't had a single point in the last two games of this series. He did however, have a goal and two assists in the two games played here at the Bell Centre, and he has now logged at least one point in six straight home games dating back to the regular season.
ANALYSIS & PREDICTION
It's time to turn the lights out on the Senators. It's only a matter of time until the Montreal offense starts to look like the unit which scored seven goals in two games against Andrew Hammond to kick this series off.
Expect to see Subban get back on the attack, while the power play will once again start to be dangerous, and when all of that happens, it'll be the end of what has been a very good season nonetheless for Ottawa.
Montreal 4, Ottawa 2
The NHL odds for this Friday contest will be released first by BookMaker. Since this game can be seen by anyone with a TV, BookMaker will have a multitude of wagering options available for it. Outside of the normal lines, you can gamble on real-time odds and player props during the game. Live betting is open during every commercial break!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device or tablet at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker's live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! The matchup between the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Canadiens will start at 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday, 1/1, 2015 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Game 5 of this series will be televised live on CNBC.
