NHL Playoffs Series Odds: Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
The Montreal Canadiens had less than a one percent chance of making the Stanley Cup playoffs when the regular season was shut down and head into the play-in round as the No. 24 overall seed. So if you’re into underdogs, check out some of the Habs’ odds. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, comes in as the No. 6 seed in the East and should benefit from the time off due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Pittsburgh Penguins Odds
The Penguins are one of the biggest series favourites on the NHL odds board at around -200, which makes a lot of sense considering they finished 15 points ahead of the Canadiens. Pittsburgh also hopes to have Jake Guentzel back in the lineup following his shoulder injury, so he could slide back onto Sidney Crosby’s line nicely. Speaking of Sid, he was limited to only 41 games after having core muscle surgery but returned to the lineup and finished the regular season with 47 points. Evgeni Malkin had a great year, leading the team and finishing 14th overall with 74 points in only 55 games. Pittsburgh’s Stanley Cup odds opened at +1400 and now sit at +700.
Montreal Canadiens Odds
Well, they have a chance, right? The Habs had a tough year from top to bottom. They finished 19th overall in both goals for and goals against and struggled to sustain any kind of momentum throughout the shortened regular season. Carey Price found his game later in the year, but he wasn’t the brick wall in goal that we have come to expect either. He finished with 2.79 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. With Montreal lacking even a single bonafide offensive superstar, the Habs will need Price to be at his best to have a shot here. Montreal’s Stanley Cup odds currently sit at +5000.