Bell Centre is playing host to an enticing tilt as the Montreal Canadiens prepare to face the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins. AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh will broadcast this Eastern Conference matchup, and the action gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 4.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens Odds
The money line for each team is currently set at an identical -110 and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals. If you want to play this game’s total, you’ll be looking at odds of -110 money on the over and -110 on the under.
Pittsburgh is 24-16 straight up (SU) and has earned 3.2 units for moneyline bettors this season. 20 of its contests have gone under the total, while 19 have gone over and just one has pushed. This 2019-20 Penguins team is 8-9 SU on the road.
Pittsburgh has converted on 18.8 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 17th overall, and it has successfully killed off 80.8 percent of its penalties.
Pittsburgh, as a collective unit, has been penalized just 3.0 times per game during the 2019-20 season, 3.4 per game over its last five matchups total, and 3.0 per game over its last five road outings. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 7.1 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 24.3 saves per game with a .894 save percentage, Matt Murray (12-11-4) has been the top option in goal for Pittsburgh this year. If Pittsburgh decides to rest him, however, head coach Mike Sullivan could turn to Tristan Jarry (13-6-1), who has a .936 save percentage and 1.94 goals against average this year.
The visiting Penguins have relied heavily on Jake Guentzel and Evgeni Malkin this season. Guentzel has 43 points via 20 goals and 23 assists, and has recorded two or more points in nine different games. Malkin has 11 goals and 27 assists to his credit (and has logged a point in 21 games).
Over on the other bench, Montreal is 18-23 straight up (SU) and has lost 9.6 units for moneyline bettors this year. 21 of its matches have gone over the total, while 18 have gone under and just two have pushed. This year, the team is 8-12 SU as the home team.
Montreal has converted on 22.9 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 25th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 76.0 percent of all opponent power plays.
Montreal players have been penalized only 3.2 times per game this season, and 4.6 per game over their last five at home. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 8.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Carey Price (26.8 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for Montreal. Price has 16 wins, 17 losses, and three OT losses to his credit and has maintained a pedestrian 3.00 goals against average and a poor .901 save percentage this season.
Tomas Tatar (16 goals, 19 assists) will pace the attack for the Canadiens.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Montreal Canadiens Betting Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Canadiens, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Montreal is 2-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Pittsburgh is 2-0 in shootouts.
- For both of these clubs, the over has hit in three of their past five games.
- This game features two offenses that put the puck on goal a lot. Pittsburgh has attempted the league’s seventh-most shots on goal (33.4) while Montreal has attempted the most (35.6). The Pens have averaged 28.2 shot attempts over their last five home games while the Habs have taken 38.4 shots over their last five home outings.
- Montreal has managed just 2.8 goals per game (while giving up 4.0) in its last four contests (the team is 0-4 SU over that stretch).
- Over Pittsburgh’s last ten games, seven of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 5-2 in those games).
- This game features two of the tougher teams in the league. Pittsburgh skaters have given out the third-most hits in the league (28.9 per game) and the Canadiens have tallied the third-most (27.4).
