Tomas Tatar, Brendan Gallagher, and the Montreal Canadiens are set to face off against Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, and the Florida Panthers at the BB&T Center in a divisional showdown. The game gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 29 and it can be viewed live on Sportsnet.
Montreal Canadiens at Florida Panthers Odds
Florida is 19-18 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.4 units for moneyline bettors this year. That early-season winning percentage is a welcome improvement over the 36-46 record from last year’s regular season campaign. Of the team’s 37 games this season, 21 have gone over the total, while 12 have gone under and just three have pushed. The team’s 12-9 SU at home this season.
The Panthers have converted on 23.8 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that’s good enough for sixth-best in the league. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 17th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 80.0 percent of all penalties.
With a .899 save percentage and 26.6 saves per game, Sergei Bobrovsky (14 wins, 15 losses, and four OT losses) has been the primary goalkeeper for Florida this season. If head coach Joel Quenneville decides to give him a breather, however, Florida may go with Sam Montembeault (3-4-4 record, .889 save percentage, 3.31 goals against average).
Montreal has lost 5.6 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year and is currently 18-20 straight up (SU). 19 of its outings have gone over the total, while 16 have gone under the total and just two have pushed. The Canadiens are 10-9 SU as the visiting team this season.
The Canadiens have scored on 23.2 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s good enough for sixth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 27th overall and it’s successfully defended 75.4 percent of all opponent power plays.
Carey Price (.904 save percentage and 2.93 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Montreal. Price is averaging 27.0 saves per game and owns a 16-15-3 record.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Florida Panthers Betting Picks
Pick: SU Winner – Canadiens, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- The Canadiens are 2-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while the Panthers are 3-3 in shootouts.
- For both of these teams, the over has hit in three of their last five matchups.
- Over Florida’s last ten outings, eight of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 5-3 in those games).
- Montreal skaters have accounted for the league’s fourth-most hits per game (27.4), but that number’s down to just 20.4 hits over their last five away games.
