Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens Prediction, NHL Odds
The Washington Capitals head up to Quebec for a pivotal Saturday night clash with the Montreal Canadiens. A pair of wins since the Olympic break has put the Capitals right on the edge of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, one in which the Canadiens possess a Wild-Card spot. Montreal’s at 73 points with 58 games played, while Washington’s at 69 points but with 61 games played.
Washington’s the first team out of the playoffs as it stands, but have a massive opportunity to gain some ground on Saturday. It’s the second of a back-to-back for Washington, as they beat Vegas 3-2 on Friday. Montreal returned to action on Thursday, losing 4-3 in overtime at home to the New York Islanders.
Puck drop at the Bell Centre goes at 7 p.m. EST, with the Canadiens a -155 favourite on home ice and the over-under at six on the NHL odds.
Capitals vs. Canadiens NHL Betting Odds
Washington’s kept their winning ways against Montreal since winning their first-round playoff series a season ago. Saturday will be the final of three regular season matchups between these clubs, with the Capitals winning 8-4 on November 20 and 3-2 in overtime on January 13. Connor McMichael netted the OT winner, while Ethen Frank had multiple goals in each win.
Washington’s now 6-1 in their last seven games overall, and also 6-1 in their last seven meetings with Montreal. The under has hit in five straight Capitals games, but the over is 4-1 in the last five Capitals–Canadiens contests played in Montreal. The Habs are 8-3 in their last 11 contests on home ice.
Washington is now +100 to make the playoffs.
Washington Capitals
The Capitals hung on Friday night versus Vegas, riding a strong second period to a 3-2 win. The return of Pierre-Luc Dubois has been huge for the Caps, as he has three goals and two assists since returning from injury after the Olympics. Dubois scored twice Friday, and his line of Aliaksei Protas and Tom Wilson were on the ice for all three goals. This new-look second line has a ton of size to it, which should translate well against Montreal if Washington is able to control the game’s pace.
Defenceman Jakob Chychrun netted the game-winning goal Friday and is now up to 22 goals on the season. Not only is Chychrun one shy of the team lead in goals, he’s now set a career high at 27-years-old and leads all NHL defencemen in goals. Saturday will be Chychrun’s 600th NHL game.
Expect backup Charlie Lindgren to be between the pipes on Saturday, with Logan Thompson playing Friday. Lindgren is 8-6-3 this season with an .884 save percentage.
Montreal Canadiens
Montreal’s stars looked fresh on Thursday despite the 4-3 overtime loss. Cole Caufield registered his team-leading 33rd goal of the season while Noah Dobson scored twice, and Ivan Demidov and Lane Huston each had primary assists. None of these stars for the Habs played in the Olympics due to several circumstances, which could be a blessing in disguise for a Montreal team pushing for the post-season. Many believe these Olympic snubs (or in Demidov’s case, not being allowed to play) will be motivated this second half of the NHL season and so far so good.
Sam Montembeault turned away just 22 of 26 shots faced on Thursday and questions remain on who should be the starter in net come crunch time. Montembault’s played 24 games and has an .874 save percentage, while Jakub Dobes has 27 games and an .892 save percentage. Then there’s Jacob Fowler, who’s appeared in 10 games and has a team-best .902 save percentage.
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