Scoreboard	1	2	3	Odds
Montreal Canadiens 40-31-7-4	0	1	2	+5.5
Boston Bruins 33-39-9-1	3	1	2	+220

Montreal Canadiens vs. Boston Bruins Prediction, NHL Odds

Sunday is a big day for the Bruins franchise. The 3 pm afternoon start time is reserved to commemorate the franchise’s 100 years of existence. On Monday, Dec. 1, 1924, the club played the then-Montreal Maroons, now the Canadiens. As such, the Habs are in town to try and spoil the festivities. Boston was at home to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday and fell 2-1. Montreal was in Manhattan to play the Rangers on Saturday and came close, but lost 4-3.

Our NHL odds have the Bruins as -240 moneyline favourites, with the puck line as the usual -1.5.

Canadiens vs. Bruins NHL Betting Odds

Recent history has been none too kind to the Canadiens when they face off against their eternal foes. The Bruins have captured nine of the past 10 encounters. This is the second meeting of the season and the second at TD. Moreover, Montreal’s last three visits to this building have been unmitigated disasters, with defeats of 6-4 (this past October), 9-4, and 5-2 (the latter two coming last season).

Despite losing to the Rangers on Saturday, they still covered the spread, thus improving their ATS record to a respectable 12-11-0. One wonders what will happen on Sunday as the Canadiens’ 31^stranked goals against average (3.73) comes up against the Bruins’ 32^nd-ranked attack (2.32 goals per game). For the record, Cayden Primeau will be in net for the Habs.

Here’s something one doesn’t see too often: a 5-20-0 ATS record. Pitiful, to be sure, but that’s just the kind of season it’s been for Boston. There has been a coaching change, the players are exceedingly undisciplined (271 total penalty minutes, second-most in the NHL), and, as alluded to, they can’t score. One reckons it’s important to remember that Montreal keeps covering those +1.5 spreads.

Montreal Canadiens

There isn’t much time to mull over what transpired at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is up to one’s interpretation, but it was a memorable match, to be sure.

Beyond the fact that fisticuffs and brouhahas were had all game long (Josh Anderson even got into a fight with Jacob Trouba), this was a largely entertaining affair. Samuel Montembeault can be a difficult goalie to beat, and New York knew that. The solution was the screen him, which worked on the goals that made it 1-0, 2-1, and 3-1 for the Rangers.

But the Habs didn’t go down without a fight, no pun intended. Mike Matheson, returning from injury, netted his second of the campaign with a fine wrister in the slot in the first period that tied the game 1-1. The third period was Montreal’s best despite the heartbreaking end. Both Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki tallied thanks to excellent pressure in the Rangers’ zone. Caufield no-look wrister was a thing of beauty.

Alas, the honourable performance was undone on the penalty kill with 24 seconds to go as Kaapo Kakko rocketed home the winner amidst sprawled Montreal defenders. Make the final a 4-3 Canadiens defeat.

Boston Bruins

Boston experienced more blanks when firing on Friday when they hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins in a frustrating 2-1 defeat.

The worst part is the hosts opened the scoring through Charlie Coyle (fifth) at only 1:24 of the first period. Coupled with the notion that the team had blasted six goals in a win over the Islanders two days prior, this should have been a good omen. It wasn’t like they didn’t have chances, given that they fired 32 times at Pittsburgh’s net. But the visitors either came up with humungous saves by their goalie or thrilling blocks by skaters.

Jeremy Swayman played well, shielding his net from 32 of the 34 shots he faced and honestly couldn’t do much on the game-winner in the third period.

David Pastrnak is now goalless in seven games.