In their first head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the New York Rangers and the Montreal Canadiens collide at Bell Centre. The game will get started at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 23, and you are able to catch this Original Six matchup live on MSG2.
New York Rangers at Montreal Canadiens Odds
Montreal (-190) is favored over New York (+165) and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 7 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -120 for the over and even money (+100) for the under.
The Canadiens are 11-11 straight-up (SU) and have punished moneyline bettors to the tune of -1.1 units so far. That early-season winning percentage is a slide from what the team recorded during last year’s regular season (44-38). Through 22 regular season outings, 12 of the team’s games have gone over the total, while nine have gone under and just one has pushed. This year, the team is 6-5 SU at home.
Montreal has converted on 20.9 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 30th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 72.5 percent of all penalties.
Montreal, as a collective unit, has been penalized just 3.1 times per game overall this season, 2.8 per game over its past five matchups total, and 3.2 per game over its last five home outings. The team has been forced to defend opponent power plays for just 6.4 minutes per game over its last 10 matchups, overall.
With a .912 save percentage and 28.1 saves per game, Carey Price (10 wins, eight losses, and three OT losses) has been the principal option in goal for the Canadiens this year. If they decide to give him the night off, however, the team could go with Keith Kinkaid (1-3-3 record, .887 save percentage, 4.24 goals against average).
The Habs will continue to lean on the leadership from Tomas Tatar and Shea Weber. Tatar (20 points) has tallied seven goals and 13 assists and has recorded two or more points four times this year. Weber has six goals and 11 assists to his credit and has notched at least one point in 12 contests.
On the other side of the rink, New York is 9-11 straight up (SU) and has netted 1.6 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 20 regular season outings, 10 of its games have gone under the total, while nine have gone over and none have pushed. As the road team, New York is 3-5 SU so far.
New York has converted on 21.4 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 31st overall and it’s successfully killed off 72.2 percent of all opponent power plays.
New York’s players have been called for penalties 5.0 times per game this season, and 6.0 per game over their last five road outings. The team’s been forced to stave off opponent power plays an unhealthy 16.0 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Henrik Lundqvist (31.5 saves per game) has been the main choice in the net for New York. Lundqvist owns a 5-8-1 record, and has registered a .909 save percentage and 3.37 goals against average this year.
Leading the offensive firepower for the visiting Rangers will be Artemi Panarin, who’s got 11 goals and 14 assists on the year.
New York Rangers at Montreal Canadiens Betting Predictions
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner – Canadiens, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- For both of these teams, the over has hit in three of their last five matches.
- New York has managed 27.2 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Montreal is averaging 34.0 shots per game over its last five at home.
- Power plays and penalty kills may have a key role tonight. The Rangers are 2-3 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 5-4 in games where they’re in the box for fewer than 10 penalty minutes, total. The Canadiens are 5-3 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 9-7 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- Montreal is ranked 17th in the NHL this season with 7.4 takeaways per game. That figure’s trended higher lately, as the team has forced 8.9 takeaways over its last 10 games and 10.0 takeaways over its last five.
- New York has managed 6.8 takeaways per game over its last five road games, a drop-off from its season average of 8.6 takeaways per game (ranked sixth).
