Montreal Canadiens vs. Carolina Hurricanes Prediction, NHL Odds
It’s first versus worst in the Eastern Conference on Thursday when the Carolina Hurricanes host the Montreal Canadiens. The Hurricanes are tied with Florida atop the Eastern Conference standings after dropping their last game 4-3 in overtime in Tampa Bay on Tuesday. Montreal is tied with Arizona for last place in the league and they’re coming in off a 7-4 loss in Florida on Tuesday.
Carolina is a heavy -387 favourite to win on the NHL odds, with a total of 6.0.
Canadiens vs. Hurricanes NHL Betting Odds
This will be the last of three meetings between the teams this season. The Hurricanes have dominated this head-to-head, winning eight of the last 10 games, including both contests this year. Roughly 90 per cent of Sports Interaction bettors are taking Carolina in this one, while about 73 per cent of action is favouring the Over. It’s worth noting, both games between the teams this season have actually gone Under.
The Habs, who have lost their last seven trips to Carolina, come into this game with just one win in their last five games this season. They’re 33-34 against the spread this year, including an even 17-17 ATS on the road. The total has gone Over in 10 of Montreal’s last 14 games overall and six of their last seven on the road.
Carolina is looking to start stringing together some wins after dropping six of their last nine games. They’re 32-25 ATS overall and 15-18 ATS at home. The total has gone Over in four of the Hurricanes’ last five games.
Montreal Canadiens
As the first team mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, the Canadiens are reduced to playing spoiler for the rest of the year. They didn’t spoil anything in Florida, however, as they lost for the fourth time in their last five games. Chris Wideman, Joel Edmundson, Laurent Dauphin and Christian Dvorak scored for Montreal. Jake Allen stopped 39 of 45 shots faced. It’s pretty easy to see why the Habs sit so far down the league standings. They sit 32nd in goals-for per game (2.55), 31st in goals-against (3.76), 30th in power play percentage (13.7 per cent) and 28th in penalty kill percentage (74.9 per cent). Nick Suzuki leads the team with 50 points. The only Canadiens players to record double-digit goals this season are Suzuki (18), Josh Anderson (16), Cole Caufield (14) and Mike Hoffman (11).
Allen is expected to get the start in Carolina. The 31-year-old has posted a 7-18-4 record this season, with a 3.19 goals-against average and .906 save percentage. Allen has faced at least 42 shots in each of his last four starts, picking up just one win in that stretch. Third-year centre Jake Evans’ status is up in the air on Thursday. Evans is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury after sliding into the boards hard on Tuesday and leaving the game in the third period.
Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina is in a good position in the Metropolitan Division standings, sitting in first place, ahead of the New York Rangers by three points with a game in hand. They managed to pick up a point in Tampa Bay on Tuesday, although they were outshot 32-19. Nino Niederreiter, Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho scored for the Canes. Antti Raanta made 28 saves in regulation before allowing the game-winning goal on the first shot in overtime. It’s fair to say Carolina was likely out of gas after pummelling Washington 6-1 on Monday and St. Louis 7-2 on Saturday. Aho leads the team with 66 points and 30 goals. A large part of the Hurricanes’ success has come from their stingy defence, which is allowing a league-low 2.37 goals per game. They also have the NHL’s best penalty killing unit, which has an 88.3 per cent success rate.
Frederik Andersen will likely get the start on Thursday. Andersen is having a career-year in his first season with Carolina, posting a 32-10-3 record with a 2.05 GAA (leads the NHL) and .927 SV (T-2 in NHL). The former Leafs netminder is the third-favourite to win the Vezina at +975. Former Hab Jesperi Kotkaniemi is out indefinitely after suffering a lower-body injury on Monday.
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