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Jeremy Perry
Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins: NHL Odds, Prediction
The Pittsburgh Penguins are trying to hold on to a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and it’s been a bit of a challenge of late as they’ve alternated wins and losses for 11 straight games. They’re coming off a win, though, and will look to make it two in a row when they face the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night, who have surprisingly won two of their last three.
The Penguins opened as big -260 favourites for this NHL matchup.
Canadiens vs. Penguins Betting Analysis
The Penguins have won seven of their last 10 meetings with the Canadiens, including both this season and four in a row overall. The Habs are just 3-18 in their last 21 against winning teams, which is a bad trend. They are also just 2-8 in road games where the total is six or higher. Their 10 road wins are the fewest in the NHL.
As for the Penguins, they are 17-6 when at home with a total of six or more.
Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens are 28-37-12 after a 4-2 win at home over Detroit on Monday as they got a pair of goals from Brendan Gallagher. Alex Galchenyuk and Paul Byron also scored, while Carey Price stopped 26 shots for the Canadiens. Two wins in three games is unusual for the Habs as they had lost nine of 10 before that.
Carey Price continues to struggle for the Canadiens and he’s in the midst of one of his worst stretches of the season. After posting an ugly .898 save percentage in February, that number has sunk to .866 in March. He has just two wins in his last 10 starts. It’s not like the Canadiens offense is doing much these days. Yes, they’ve scored 11 goals in their last three games but they had scored a total of 19 goals in their previous 10 games. And keep in mind the competition over their last three: they beat Buffalo and Detroit, who are two of the worst teams in the NHL. The Habs are a mess and they can’t wait for the season to end.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins are 44-28-6 after a 4-3 win in overtime in New Jersey on Thursday as Sidney Crosby notched the winner. Conor Sheary, Kris Letang and Patric Hornqvist also found the back of the net, while Matt Murray made 28 saves for the Penguins, who have alternated wins and losses over their last 11 games. The Penguins have been getting a surge from Crosby, who has five goals and three assists over his last five contests. Evgeni Malkin leads the Penguins with 42 goals and 51 assists this season, while Phil Kessel is tied with Crosby with 85 points.
The Pens are back at home in this spot where they have won five of their last six games. They average 3.66 goals per game at home – the second-best mark in the league – and with the Habs struggles between the pipes, they should have an easy time finding their way to two points on Saturday.
