PPG Paints Arena will play host to an enticing matchup as the Montreal Canadiens visit Western PA to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh will air this Eastern Conference matchup, which gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 10.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Odds
With a -170 moneyline, Pittsburgh enters the game as the noticeable favorite. The line for Montreal is standing at +150, and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. If gamblers want to put some action on this game’s total, they’ll be looking at odds of -105 for the over and -115 on the under.
Earning 0.4 units for moneyline bettors, the Penguins are 17-13 straight up (SU) overall this year. That early-season winning percentage hasn’t moved much from what the team managed during last year’s regular season (44-38). Of the team’s 30 regular season contests, 15 have gone under the total, while 14 have gone over and just one has pushed. The team is 12-5 SU at home this season.
Pittsburgh has converted on just 16.1 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that places the team in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 14th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.9 percent of all penalties.
As a team, Pittsburgh has been called for penalties just 3.1 times per game overall this season, and 3.8 per game over its last five at home. The team has been forced to kill penalties for just 8.3 minutes per game over its last 10 matchups, overall.
With a .897 save percentage and 24.0 saves per game, Matt Murray (11-10-4) has been the principal option in goal for the Penguins this season. If they decide to give him a rest, however, head coach Mike Sullivan might turn to Tristan Jarry (7-4-4 record, .943 save percentage, 1.81 goals against average).
Jake Guentzel and Evgeni Malkin will each lead the offensive attack for the Penguins. Guentzel (31 points) is up to 16 goals and 15 assists and has recorded two or more points six times this year. Malkin has eight goals and 18 assists to his credit and has notched a point in 13 contests.
Over on the other bench, Montreal is 13-17 straight up (SU) and has lost 7.4 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 30 regular season contests, 16 of its games have gone over the total, while 12 have gone under the total and just two have pushed. Montreal’s 6-7 SU as a road team this season.
Montreal has converted on 19.0 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 26th overall and it’s successfully killed off 75.6 percent of all opponent power plays.
Montreal’s players have been penalized only 3.1 times per game in total this season, 3.0 per game over their last five contests total, and 3.0 per game over their last five road outings. The team’s been forced to defend opponent power plays just 5.8 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Carey Price (3.04 goals against average and .902 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for Montreal. Price is averaging 27.1 saves per game and has 12 wins, 12 losses, and three OT losses to his credit.
For the visiting Canadiens, the offense will be heavily coordinated by Tomas Tatar (nine goals, 16 assists) and Phillip Danault (seven goals, 16 assists).
Montreal Canadiens at Pittsburgh Penguins Free Picks
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- For both of these teams, the total has gone over in three of their past five games.
- This game features two clubs that fire the puck toward the goal a lot. Montreal has taken the league’s second-most shots on goal (35.3) and Pittsburgh has attempted the fourth-most (34.0).
- Pittsburgh has allowed 2.7 goals per game overall this season, but has driven that figure down to 1.0 per match up over its three-game winning streak.
- Five of Montreal’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 1-4 in those games.
- This game features two of the tougher defenses in the league. Montreal skaters have accounted for the league’s fifth-most hits per game (27.2) while the Pens have registered the third-most (29.3).
