Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad, and the New York Rangers will face off against Jonathan Drouin, Max Domi, and the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre in an Original Six matchup. TVA Sports will air the game, and the puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 1.
New York Rangers vs. Montreal Canadiens Odds
The Canadiens (-155) are tabbed as the favorites over the Rangers (+135) and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The odds for betting the total sit at -125 for the over and +105 for the under.
New York is 13-13 straight up (SU) and has netted 3.2 units for moneyline bettors this year. 16 of its matches have gone under the total, while 10 have gone over and none have pushed. As the road team in 2018-19, the Broadway Blueshirts are 3-9 SU.
New York has converted on 18.8 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s right around league average. Additionally, its penalty kill is ranked 18th overall, and it has successfully killed off 78.5 percent of all penalties..
Averaging 30.1 saves per game with a .920 save percentage, Henrik Lundqvist (9-11-2) has been the best option in goal for New York this season. If New York chooses to rest him, however, head coach David Quinn could turn to Alexandar Georgiev (4-3), who has a .903 save percentage and 3.11 goals against average this year.
Over on the other bench, Montreal is 11-14 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.4 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 25 regular season contests, 12 of its games have gone over the total, while another 12 have gone under and just one has pushed. It’s 6-7 SU as the home team this year.
The Canadiens have converted on just 14.6 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that places them in the bottom overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 16th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 79.3 percent of all penalties.
Carey Price has stopped 27.2 shots per game as the top selection in the crease for the Canadiens. Price has seven wins, 11 losses, and four OT losses to his credit and has maintained a subpar .897 save percentage and 3.11 goals against average this season.
New York Rangers vs. Montreal Canadiens Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner – Canadiens, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- The Canadiens are 4-6 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Rangers are 6-7 SU in games where they spend more time in the box than the opposition.
- Montreal is 2-0 in games decided by a shootout this season while New York is 4-0 in shootouts.
- The under has hit in four of New York’s last five outings.
- New York is ranked 29th this season with 12.7 giveaways per game. That figure has trended upward recently, as it’s averaged 15.0 giveaways over its last 10 games and 15.0 giveaways over its last five.
- Montreal skaters have averaged 14.6 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 11.1 giveaways per game (ranked 23rd in the NHL).
- This game features a couple of the more physical defenses in the league. New York skaters have accounted for the fifth-most hits in the league (25.1 per game) and the Canadiens have tallied the fourth-most (26.3).
