Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens: NHL Odds, Prediction
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Andrew Rogers
Ovechkin leads the NHL with 44 goals heading into this one, and has scored four times through his first two meetings with the Canadiens this season. Then again, Montreal has struggled with pretty much everyone in a Washington jersey over the years.
Capitals vs Canadiens Betting Analysis
It should come as no surprise that the Canadiens are a heavy underdog Saturday night, even if you ignore the enormous gap in quality of play between the teams so far this season. The Caps have ruled the head-to-head series, winning 16 of the previous 23 meetings while losing just five times in their last 21 visits to Bell Centre. The road team has also been strangely dominant over the majority of the past decade, winning 22 of the last 30 encounters overall.
Washington has been a strong over play in recent games, exceeding the total in four of its past five games while going 4-1 O/U in its five prior encounters with Eastern Conference opponents. Montreal, on the other hand, has just 20 overs in its last 80 games played on zero days rest, and has gone 12-25-1 O/U in its previous 38 games against East foes. The teams have also been heavy on the under play, going 5-19-4 O/U in their last 28 meetings.
Washington Capitals
The Capitals have eviscerated Atlantic Division opponents over the past few years, winning nearly three-quarters of their games against those teams. But like most teams in the Stanley Cup playoffs, Washington will only go as far as its goaltending will take it – and the tandem of Braden Holtby and Philipp Grubauer have been mostly sensational in March, helping the Capitals post a 2.60 GAA for the month – ninth-best in the league in that span.
Montreal Canadiens
Things have gone completely in the tank for the Canadiens, who have an outside shot at finishing with the worst record in the league. Five of Montreal’s final seven games will come against teams that are either playoff locks (Washington, Pittsburgh, Winnipeg, Toronto) or are fighting for a postseason spot (New Jersey). The Canadiens also have a chance at finishing with fewer than 70 points in a full season for the first time since 1950-51.
