Florida Panthers vs. Montreal Canadiens Prediction, NHL Odds
Sitting last in the Atlantic Division, Montreal has a chance to play spoiler as they head into the final seven games of the regular season. The Panthers are listed as a -230 favourite to win on the NHL odds with the total sitting at 6.5.
Panthers vs. Canadiens NHL Betting Odds
The Florida Panthers have crushed the Canadiens in all three of their meetings so far this season, covering the spread in each and outscoring them by a score of 22-9. Each of their past seven meetings have hit the Over dating all the way back to 2020. One promising trend for the Canadiens is that the home team is 11-2 in their past 13 meetings, though they will be attempting to hold off a hungry Panthers team, looking for a playoff spot.
The Panthers snapped a four-game losing streak last night in Toronto, covering the spread for the first time in four games while playing the Under. Florida has played the total 6-2-2 to the Over, in their past 10 games making their record 40-27-8 on the year. They are top five in league scoring (3.4 per game) and have been scoring even more over their past 10 (3.9 per game), despite posting a 5-4-1 record.
The Canadiens have pulled their act together over the past few games, covering the spread in each of the past three to bring their record ATS to 42-33 on the year. After a few blowouts, Martin St. Louis has his team playing a more conservative style of hockey, helping them play the Under in four of their past five matchups. The recent stretch of low scoring hockey has pushed the record on the Over/Under to 34-36-5 on the year.
Florida Panthers
The Panthers snapped their four-game skid last night in Toronto with an exciting 3-2 overtime win over the Maple Leafs. Florida’s Anton Lundell (10) scored the opening goal of the game a minute in. After Toronto scored the game’s next two goals, Sam Reinhart (28) evened things up with a power play in the final minute of the third, to send the game into overtime. It was defenceman Brandon Montour (14) who would then play the hero, banging in a one-timer to complete the comeback.
Alex Lyon kept Florida in the game with his 38-save performance, the best of his eight starts this season. The 30-year-old has just 32 games of NHL experience under his belt, posting a career save percentage of .894.
With Lyon in the cage last night, Sergei Bobrovski will likely start in Montreal. Florida comes into Thursday night’s game back just a single point of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens’ comeback fell just short in their most recent outing versus the Philadelphia Flyers. Trailing 1-0 in the second period, Brendan Gallagher (7) tied the game, scoring for a third consecutive night. The Flyers would then go up 3-1 on an empty net goal in the third, but that did not stop the red hot Rafael Harvey-Pinard (13) from getting on the board in the final minute to give the Canadiens a chance. The loss broke the Canadiens two-game win streak and officially eliminated them from playoff contention.
Two players made their season debuts for the Canadiens on Tuesday, goalie Cayden Primeau and 21-year-old Sean Farrell. Primeau made 24 saves in a losing effort, making his 20th career NHL appearance. On the other hand Farrell played 13:03 after signing his first ever NHL contract on Sunday.
Now sitting 28th in the NHL, Montreal does not have a chance to climb up much further than 27th. Their upcoming schedule is tough, facing a playoff team in five of their last seven. They will now likely be looking toward the entry draft.
FLA
MON