Montreal Canadiens vs. Chicago Blackhawks: NHL Odds, Prediction

Sports Interaction Staff
Last Updated: November 6, 2017

Both the Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks were viewed as Stanley Cup contenders in the preseason. Through the first month of the season, neither has looked anywhere close and if the playoffs started today, both would be on the outside looking in. Which team can get back on track as they square off on Sunday?

Canadiens vs. Blackhawks

Date: Sunday, November 5^th – 8:00 PM ET

Location: United Center – Chicago, IL

NHL Odds: Blackhawks -170

NHL Odds and Betting Analysis

The Canadiens and Blackhawks have been two of the worst teams to bet. If you’ve been backing them from the start of the year, you’re down -5.0 units with the Habs and -1.6 with the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks have won nine of the last 12 meetings as the host and five straight overall. Keep in mind that both teams played on Saturday night.

Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens have shown a bit of a pulse after starting the season with seven losses in their first eight games. They have won four of their last six. Their offense has finally gotten going as they’ve managed to score 26 goals in that span; they had scored a total of just 13 goals in their first eight contests.

Goaltender Carey Price has faced plenty of heat as his 3.77 GAA and .877 save percentage is among the worst in the NHL. Those numbers are borderline shocking for a goaltender many consider to be the best in the NHL. While it’s hard to believe, he’s been much worse on the road than at home, which is relevant here since the Habs are in Chicago. Price has a 4.29 GAA on the road with just one win in six tries. What Montreal has to be concerned about is that while they’ve won some games recently, it hasn’t been because of Price. Price has still given up at least four goals in seven of his last eight starts.

He got the night off on Saturday and hopefully that gives him a chance to reset a little bit.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks have fallen on hard times but nobody is panicking just yet. This is a veteran team that knows that they’ll have to pick up their play as the season goes along but they don’t necessarily have to over-exert themselves right now. They started the year 4-1-1 but have lost five of eight since that point. Goaltending hasn’t been a problem for them as Corey Crawford is among the NHL leaders with a 1.92 GAA and a .941 save percentage.

The main issue for the Blackhawks has been that their offense has tapered off. They scored 25 goals in their first six games (4.2 per game) but have tallied just 18 in their last eight. The good news for them is that they’re at home in this one. At home, they average 3.43 goals per game (11^th in the NHL) compared to 2.83 on the road (17^th).