posted March 24, 2008 at 15:41 EST in NHL Free Picks

Ottawa Senators (41-27-7) vs. Montreal Canadiens (42-24-10)

Monday, march 24th --- Bell Centre, Montreal --- 7:30pm EST

NHL Betting Line: Montreal -135

Jason Spezza must be licking his chops to play the Canadiens again. The last time the Sens played the Habs on the road, the Senators carved them up like an Easter hambone. The knife wielder was Jason Spezza who torched them for two twine finders. Montreal is 2-8 SU when facing Ottawa in the past 10 games, so don’t go bananas on the moneyline with the favorite just yet.

The problem with Ottawa is that they are predictable. They’ll go out and hammer Montreal and Boston, but they’ll lose to Toronto. Their goaltending has been a huge miscue, but the good news is that the offense has been pummeling defenses again. Ottawa averages 3.17 goals for, but their Swiss cheese defense gets blown up for 2.97 goals against per game.

Montreal is 9-4 SU in their past 13 games, but the loss of Mike Komisarek concerns me. The big bruiser is a reason that they can usually contain top lines defensively. Without him, I’m not so sure that Montreal can contain the explosive Spezza line. It’s always tough to beat Montreal in the Bell Centre, but the Ottawa Senators have made a habit of it. And you should make a habit of betting on Ottawa over Montreal on the moneyline starting tonight.

NHL Free Pick: Ottawa +115 (UNDER)

Calgary Flames (39-26-10) vs. Colorado Avalanche (39-31-6)

Monday, March 24th --- Pepsi Center, Denver --- 9:00pm EST

NHL Betting Line: Colorado -140

For as much as we know about these teams, we know that there is no absolute truth when it comes to predicting a Flames-Avs tilt. Colorado holds the historic edge over Calgary with a 7-3 SU record in their past 10 meetings. But in their most recent meetings, Calgary has outscored them 14-11. So here’s what we know…

Adam Foote has a sore hip. Don’t blame him. He’s old. Really old. But without him, the Avalanche blue-line is still rail thin. The Avs play great team defense, but Foote has been essential the resurrection of their power play. And honestly, who knows what’s going on with Forsberg. Colorado is an unfortunate 1-4 SU in their past 5 games.

What we know about Calgary is still the same. They’re horribly unpredictable and inconsistent and are a very tough bet on the road. They are 2-4 SU in their past 6 roadies and lost their last road game 3-0 to Columbus. Columbus! What are they going to do when Colorado pushes them to the max?

I still like Colorado at home where they are 5-1 SU in their past 6 games at home. They play in front of a rabid home crowd, and need a big win over the topsy-turvy Flames who are a troublesome bet on the road. As far as unsure things go, this game is as tough as it gets. But I’d stick with the home team regardless of how you feel about Calgary’s last two games. They’re still not trustworthy on the road.

NHL Betting Free Pick: Colorado -140 (UNDER)

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