Montreal Canadiens vs. Carolina Hurricanes Game 5 Prediction, NHL Odds
The Montreal Canadiens’ season is on the line Friday night as they visit Carolina down 3-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Hurricanes are -225 favourites on the NHL odds to finish things off in Game 5 with a total of 5.5 goals.
Canadiens vs. Hurricanes NHL Betting Odds
The Vegas Golden Knights await in the Stanley Cup Finals as Western Conference champions after shockingly sweeping out the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche in the West Finals. Thus, when the Cup Finals starts depends on when this series concludes. If Carolina can finish it in Game 5 on Friday at home, we likely get Game 1 of Knights at Hurricanes on Tuesday. But if the Canadiens can force a Game 6 back at home on Sunday, then all bets are off.
With the Hurricanes’ third straight win in the series on Wednesday, 4-0 at Bell Centre, they moved from -500 on the series line to -3000 and the Canadiens from +370 to +1300. Carolina in six is +320 and in seven +320, while Montreal in seven is +1300. I now believe it ends in Raleigh on Friday.
In a series it leads 3-1, Carolina is 9-0 all-time and 7-0 when said series started on home ice. The Hurricanes are 15-16 in all Game 5s and 11-7 at home. Montreal is 3-20 all-time in a series when trailing 3-1 and 3-13 when starting on the road. The Canadiens are 58-41 in all Game 5s and 18-21 away.
There have been 361 previous teams to lead 3-1 in a best-of-7 series, and 329 of those (91.1 per cent) won the series with 200 of those ending in Game 5. In the round before the Stanley Cup Finals, teams with a 3-1 series lead are 73-1 all-time in it. The lone loser was Philadelphia in 2000 vs. New Jersey.
Montreal Canadiens
The NHL is a tough game but it also isn’t. If you don’t put pucks on the opposing net, you aren’t going to win. The Canadiens managed to win Game 7 of Round 1 in Tampa despite just nine shots on goal, but the lack of scoring chances in this series has been a killer. Montreal has just 65 shots on net in the five games, and Carolina has blocked three more shots than that.
In Wednesday’s 4-0 loss to fall to 2-6 on home ice in these playoffs, the Habs managed only 18 shots. They had been 6-1 in these playoffs following a loss; one more win after such would break a tie with the 1971 team for the most in a single postseason. And Montreal is 7-3 on the road in this postseason.
No chance rookie Jakub Dobes doesn’t start again in net Friday as he has been terrific in the three-game skid despite being under siege. He faced 44 more shots in Game 5. It’s the Habs’ first three-game losing streak since dropping five in a row from Nov. 11-20. They need to get both Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield going. They have combined for one point in the current skid.
Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina looks of late nothing like the team that got pasted 6-2 at home in Game 1 by Montreal, but clearly the Hurricanes were simply rusty then as they have dominated in winning the next three to reach the precipice of their first Stanley Cup Final since 2006 when the franchise won its only title.
The Canes were up 3-0 after one period in Game 5 and that was that. They scored three goals in the first period of a road playoff game for the third time in team history and scoring those three in 2:47 of ice time marked the second-fastest three goals in a playoff game in franchise history. Four different guys ended up scoring overall.
Former Maple Leaf Frederik Andersen recorded his eighth career postseason shutout and fifth with the Hurricanes in Wednesday’s win to pass Cam Ward (four) for the most in franchise history. Carolina has now scored first nine times in these playoffs and is 8-1 when doing so.
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