Edmonton Oilers vs. Montreal Canadiens Prediction, NHL Odds
A week after an embarrassing 4-0 loss to a Canadiens team coming off a week-long COVID shutdown, the Edmonton Oilers are back in Montreal for another shot against the Habs. The Canadiens have won two of three games since returning from their shutdown and they’re looking to put further distance between themselves and the non-playoff Canadian teams.
Montreal is a -125 favourite to win on the NHL odds with a total of 6.0.
Oilers vs. Canadiens Betting Analysis
Edmonton just can’t seem to figure out the Habs this season. Montreal has taken three of four meetings between the teams and outscored the Oilers by a combined 12-5. The Under has hit in all four games.
The Oilers have been pretty solid on the road this year. They’ve won eight of their last 12 games outside of Edmonton and eight of their last 11 in Montreal. Edmonton is 18-20 against the spread this season and have covered nine times on the road and nine times at home. The offence has dried up a bit in Oil Country. The Oilers haven’t scored more than three goals in a game since March 17 and they’ve been an Under team in four of their last six games.
Montreal has actually struggled more at the Bell Centre than on the road. The Habs are 7-6-2 at home and coming off a 6-3 loss at the Bell Centre to last place Ottawa. They’re 16-18 ATS, but they’ve only covered in six of 15 home games. Goals haven’t been hard to come by for the Habs. Montreal has hit the Over in half of their home games this season and four of their last six games overall.
Edmonton Oilers
As the Oilers enter the last third of the season, they’re in a tie with Winnipeg for second place in the North Division. They have a decent six-point cushion over Montreal in the standings and they trail Toronto by five points, so every point they can squeeze out of the schedule will be crucial to get home ice advantage in the playoffs. In a 4-0 loss to the Habs last week, Edmonton was outshot 32-17 and had half as many high-danger chances. The Oilers only game since that loss was a 3-2 win over Calgary on Friday. Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Dominik Kahun each scored against the Flames, while Mike Smith stopped 24 of 26 shots.
Smith should get the start in net again on Monday. Edmonton has had enough time off to rest Smith and he’s outplayed Mikko Koskinen this year. Smith is 13-3-1 with a 2.39 goals-against average and .919 save percentage. He also posted a 38-save shutout in his only start against Montreal this season. Koskinen is 9-11-0 with a 3.15 GAA and .902 SV and lost all three games he started against the Habs.
Montreal Canadiens
Montreal has to consider themselves lucky their COVID hiatus didn’t turn into the nightmare Vancouver is dealing with right now. The Habs were forced to shutdown practice and games for a week, but they seem to be getting healthier now. After missing three games with a lower-body injury, Tyler Toffoli scored Montreal’s first goal in a 6-3 loss to Ottawa on Saturday. Toffoli’s 19-goal season has put him in a four-way tie for fourth-most in the NHL. He also leads the Habs with 28 points in 31 games.
The big discussion in Montreal right now, is the goaltending issue. For years Carey Price has been the best goalie in the world, but management is clearly not happy with his play this season. A goaltending coach switch hasn’t seemed to have made much of a difference. Price allowed five goals on 31 shots against Ottawa and his season numbers are all below Jake Allen. For the year, Price is 11-6-5 with a 2.70 GAA and .902 SV. Allen is 5-3-4 with a 2.23 GAA and .922 SV. Price has two wins, including one shutout, against Edmonton this season, while Allen is 1-1 against the Oilers.
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