Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens Prediction, NHL Odds
The Canadiens escaped with a 3-2 shootout victory over the visiting Anaheim Ducks on Monday night to improve to 5-2-2 in their past nine home games and pull within five points of an Eastern Conference wild card spot. While the Penguins are coming off a 6-2 loss to Colorado on Tuesday, they have earned the win in five of their past seven contests overall but have tallied just two victories in their past 10 road dates.
Thursday night’s matchup is pegged as a virtual pick ‘em on the NHL odds, with the Penguins holding a razor-thin edge as a -115 bet. The Canadiens closely trail at -105 and the total is listed at 6.5.
Penguins vs. Canadiens NHL Betting Odds
The Penguins dominated the Canadiens while sweeping four meetings last season and extended their current head-to-head win streak to five games with a 3-1 victory in Pittsburgh on November 2.
Overall, Pittsburgh has limited Habs shooters to just 10 total goals during that run, powering a 3-1 run for the UNDER in totals betting, and have seen each of their past three victories come by multi-goal margins. The Penguins have also filled the net while winning five of seven overall, scoring at least five times in four of those wins. However, scoring has come at a premium on the road, where they have potted just 2.11 goals per game while losing eight of their past nine.
The Canadiens have enjoyed steady goaltending during the first four games of their five-game home stand, compiling a 3-1-0 record while allowing just seven total goals.
Pittsburgh Penguins
After averaging 4.50 goals per game during a preceding 4-0-0 run, the Penguins have mustered just two goals on two occasions while losing two of their past three. Veteran forward Bryan Rust has remained productive with three points in the past two games and eight points in his past seven appearances.
However, things have not gone so well for the superstar duo of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Crosby has scored just once in his past 10 games and has mustered just two points in four December appearances while Malkin has bulged the twine just once in 14 games and recorded just six total points over that stretch.
Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens can thank the sensational play of Samuel Montembeault for their recent success. Montembeault has racked up an impressive 1.72 goals against average and .944 save percentage while backstopping the Canadiens to a 3-1-0 record through the first four games of their home stand and has also seen all three of his shutouts this season come on home ice.
Patrik Laine has provided the spark for an underperforming Habs attack, scoring three times and adding an assist in the past four games. Nick Suzuki has contributed with three goals and seven helpers during a seven-game point streak. However, this team needs more from the like Juraj Slafkovsky, who has failed to score in six games and recorded just one point in five December outings.
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