Montreal Canadiens vs. Florida Panthers Prediction, NHL Odds
The Canadiens travel to South Florida after dropping a 4-1 decision in Tampa Bay on Tuesday that marks their sixth defeat in eight road contests. The Panthers have been idle since suffering a lopsided 5-1 defeat at the hands of the New York Islanders last Friday, extending their current slide to three games.
The Canadiens have improved slightly to +259 underdogs since opening as a +261 bet, while the support of 84% of sports bettors has kept the Panthers perched as massive -315 favourites. The total is unchanged since opening at 6.5, with the UNDER attracting 67% of the betting action.
Canadiens vs. Panthers Betting Analysis
Thursday night’s matchup at FLA Live Arena marks the first of four regular season meetings between these struggling Atlantic Division rivals. The Panthers took three of four from the Habs last season, including a pair of decisive wins on home ice, and have now topped Montreal in nine of 14 clashes since October 2017. Recent meetings have tended towards high scoring, with the clubs racking up an average total of 9.25 goals during a 4-0 run for the OVER. Thursday’s contest also marks the third time this season that the Canadiens have hit the ice on consecutive nights. The club has been steady in the back half of games played on back-to-back nights, winning two straight after losing 15 of their previous 19.
Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens’ recent offensive woes continued in Tampa Bay on Tuesday night. Once again, the Habs were outshot by a wide double-digit margin in a 4-1 loss. Overall, Montreal has averaged just 24.1 shots on goal during their current 1-5-1 swoon, and have scored more than two goals just once over their past nine contests. That has paid dividends for sports bettors regularly taking the UNDER, which has gone 7-1-2 over Montreal’s past 10 contests. However, the continued lack of production from the team’s big guns has emerged as a massive concern. Cole Caufield has cooled off in the month of December.
The Canadiens are a respectable 9-5-1 this season when Caufield bulges the twine. However, he has been held off the scoresheet in three straight games, and has seen just six of his 19 goals to date get scores over his 19 road appearances to date. Nick Suzuki has also struggled, scoring just once in his past 10 games, including six straight goalless efforts on the road. The upside for Montreal has been the continued steady play of Thursday’s expected starting goaltender Sam Montembeault, who has compiled a sparkling .929 save percentage over his past two outings.
Florida Panthers
While the Canadiens have struggled to score, the Panthers have equally struggled to contain opposing shooters during what has developed into a season-threatening swoon. After finishing atop the NHL league standings last season, the Panthers have taken a huge step back this time around. Winners in consecutive games just once over their past 21 appearances, the Panthers approach the New Year nine points out of the playoff picture in the East. Florida has allowed 5.33 goals per game during their current three-game slide, and currently sit near the bottom of the NHL team stats with a bloated team goals against average of 3.40.
The Panthers’ porous defence has been accompanied in a dip in offensive production by the team’s shooters. Florida has tallied just six total goals during its three-game slide, and has averaged just 2.50 goals per game while losing their past four home contests. Expected to help this team take the next step after being acquired during the offseason, Matthew Tkachuk has struggled during the team’s current swoon, scoring just twice in seven games, and has musted no goals and just four assists over his past 12 appearances against Montreal.
