Nashville Predators vs. Montreal Canadiens Prediction, NHL Odds
Nashville’s Pekka Rinne and Montreal’s Carey Price are two of the most accomplished goaltenders in the NHL, with Rinne winning the Vezina Trophy in the 2017-18 season and Price doing so in the 2014-15 campaign. However, both are having somewhat down seasons by their high standards – especially Rinne – and that’s one key reason why both the Predators and Canadiens may miss the post-season (Montreal almost surely will).
The Predators are one of a handful of teams to have fired their coach this season, dumping Peter Laviolette in early January. The team hired John Hynes, who was fired in December by the New Jersey Devils. The results have been largely the same.
Predators vs. Canadiens Betting Analysis
Less than a month to go in the season, and yet this is the first time the Preds and Habs have met; Montreal will visit Music City in its penultimate game of the year on April 1.
Last season, Nashville swept the series by a combined score of 7-2. Rinne made 34 saves in winning his, and Juuse Saros – who has essentially supplanted Rinne as the No. 1 – stopped 27 shots in his victory. Former Canadien P.K. Subban (3A) and Craig Smith (2G, 1A) led Nashville with three points each in the series. Ex-Predator Shea Weber and Tomas Tatar had the only Montreal goals in the series. Price lost both, allowing six goals on 69 shots.
The favorite is 8-2 in the past 10 meetings. The under has hit in the past eight in Montreal.
Nashville Predators
Nashville is on a two-game winning streak, both shutouts against the Dallas Stars by Saros. It was the first time in franchise history the team had shutouts in both ends of a home-and-home series. Saros has started 14 of the team’s past 20 games and is 10-4-0 with a 2.15 GAA, .936 SV and three shutouts over that span. Ryan Ellis had the lone goal in Saturday’s 1-0 victory. Norris Trophy candidate Roman Josi had a five-game points streak end and was fined $5,000 (US) afterward for cross-checking Dallas’ Corey Perry. The Preds are 17-12-4 away.
Montreal Canadiens
Montreal lost its second in a row Saturday, 4-1 at the Florida Panthers, who entered on an eight-game home losing streak. The lone Canadiens goal came at 8:04 of the third by Jake Evans (second of season) with the team down 3-0. The Toronto native hadn’t had a point in his past eight games. Leading scorer Tatar sat for the second straight game with an upper-body injury. Brendan Gallagher was back after missing one with the flu and was minus-2. Charlie Lindgren got the rare start in net. Montreal wore No. 16 stickers to honor Canadiens great Henri Richard, who died at age 84 on Friday.
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