In their second head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Florida Panthers and the Montreal Canadiens take the ice at Bell Centre. This Atlantic Division matchup gets started at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 1, and it is being shown live on Fox SportsNet Florida.
Florida Panthers vs. Montreal Canadiens Odds
Montreal (-120) is being tabbed as the favorite over Florida (+100) and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals (-130 over, +110 under).
Florida is 28-21 straight up (SU) and has earned 5.0 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 49 regular season outings, 30 of its games have gone over the total, while 16 have gone under and just three have pushed. The Panthers are 12-11 SU on the road in 2019-20.
Florida has converted on 24.1 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s good enough for fifth-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 23rd out of 31 teams, and it has successfully killed off 78.3 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, Florida has been penalized just 3.3 times per game during the 2019-20 season, and 4.8 per game over its last five road outings. The team has been forced to defend opponent power plays 12.2 minutes per game over their last five road outings.
Averaging 26.6 saves per game with a .898 save percentage, Sergei Bobrovsky (20-17-4) has been the primary option in goal for Florida this season. If Florida decides to rest him, however, head coach Joel Quenneville might turn to Chris Driedger (6-3), who has a .932 save percentage and 2.35 goals against average this year.
Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov will both spearhead the attack for the visiting Panthers. Huberdeau (65 points) is up to 18 goals and 47 assists, and has recorded two or more points 19 times. Barkov has 16 goals and 38 assists to his name (and has logged a point in 31 games).
Montreal is 23-29 straight up (SU) and has lost 12.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 52 regular season outings, 26 of its games have gone under the total, while 23 have gone over and just three have pushed. The team’s 10-17 SU at home this season.
Montreal has converted on 20.0 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 22nd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 78.4 percent of all penalties.
Montreal players have been penalized only 3.3 times per game this season, and 2.4 per game over their last five at home. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 7.3 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Carey Price has denied 27.7 shots per game as the primary option in the crease for Montreal. Price has 21 wins, 21 losses, and four OT losses and has recorded a mediocre 2.80 goals against average and a subpar .909 save percentage this year.
The Habs offense will be led by Tomas Tatar (18 goals, 28 assists).
Florida Panthers at Montreal Canadiens Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Panthers, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- The over has hit in four of Florida’s last five outings.
- Two offenses that have pounded opponents’ goalies with shots, Florida has taken the league’s eighth-most shots on goal (33.2) and Montreal has attempted the second-most (34.8).
- Extra-man opportunities could prove to be extremely important in the outcome of this matchup. The Panthers are 14-12 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 21-18 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Canadiens are 7-10 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 18-21 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- Montreal is 3-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Florida is 3-3 in shootouts.
- Montreal is ranked 20th in the NHL with 6.9 takeaways per game. That figure has trended down, however, as the team has averaged 5.2 takeaways over its last 10 games and 6.2 takeaways over its last five.
- Florida has scored 3.7 goals per game overall this year, but has raised that figure up to 5.0 per contest over the team’s six-game winning streak.
- One of the best at pressuring opposing offenses, Florida is ranked fifth in the league with 8.8 takeaways per game. That figure has trended lower, however, as the team has averaged 7.3 takeaways over its last 10 games and 7.0 takeaways over its last five.
- Florida might hold an advantage if it’s a tight one late. The team’s 12-10 in games decided by one goal, while Montreal is only 10-17 in such games.
