Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens Prediction, NHL Odds
The Montreal Canadiens look to snap an eight-game losing streak that has returned them to the bottom of the NHL league standings when they host the archrival Boston Bruins on Sunday. The Canadiens saw their late-season slide continue with Saturday’s 6-4 loss in Ottawa, and also ride a six-game home losing streak. The Bruins travel to Montreal on the heels of Saturday’s 3-1 home victory over the New York Rangers that keeps them just three points back of Tampa Bay in the race for third place in the Atlantic Division.
The Bruins have made rapid gains since opening as -253 favourites, vaulting to lofty -304 chalk while backed by 85 per cent of sports bettors. The Canadiens have faded to +250 underdogs, and face sinking -107 odds of avoiding an eighth straight loss by a multi-goal margin. The total has held steady at 6.0, with the UNDER slightly favoured at -114.
Bruins vs. Canadiens NHL Betting Odds
Sunday night’s matchup at Bell Centre marks the fourth and final regular-season meeting between these Original Six rivals. The Bruins have won six straight head-to-head clashes while surrendering just eight total goals. Boston has also paid out on the puckline on five occasions over that stretch. But the Bruins needed overtime to cap a 3-2 comeback victory in their last visit to Montreal on March 21. With that win, the Bruins now sport a 9-2-0 record in their past 11 road dates with the Canadiens. And with the Montreal attack consistently sputtering, the UNDER has gone 3-1-1 in their past five meetings, and 12-4-2 since October 2016.
With Saturday’s win, the Bruins improved to 3-1-0 over their past four butthey have struggled on the road, winning just two of five while allowing four or more goals on three occasions. Boston has also struggled in the back half of games played on consecutive nights, losing four straight including a pair of defeats as road chalk. The Canadiens have shown signs of an offensive resurgence while averaging over 37 shots on goal over their past five outings. However, a porous defence has struggled to contain opposing shooters, who have scored an average of 4.77 goals per game over the Habs’ past 13 outings.
Boston Bruins
Jeremy Swayman returns to the Bruins crease after getting the afternoon off on Saturday. Swayman has struggled down the stretch, allowing 25 total goals while going 3-5-0 over his past eight starts. However, he turned aside 53 of 57 total shots while backstopping the Bruins to two wins over Montreal earlier this season. David Pastrnak tallied a goal and an assist on Saturday in his return after missing eight games but has yet to score through three dates with Montreal this season.
Montreal Canadiens
After surrendering six goals on 26 shots on Saturday night, goaltender Carey Price is expected to give way to Samuel Montembault in Sunday’s contest. Montembault has surrendered 24 total goals while taking the loss in six straight appearances. On a positive note, rookie Cole Caufield has scored in consecutive games after being held off the scoresheet in five straight outings. However, his linemates Nick Suzuki and Josh Anderson have continued to struggle, scoring just four total goals through 11 April contests.
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