While its always fun to watch the divisional races take shape in the NHL, especially at this late stage of the season, it’s also fun to get a bit of a reprieve from those divisional and conference battles. Seeing teams from opposing conferences go head to head is always interesting, mostly because we only get to see these match-ups a couple of times per year. With that in mind, it can often be tough to handicap teams that don’t play against one another very often, but there are always some exceptions to that rule.
We have one of those exceptions set to go on Thursday night when the Montreal Canadiens head west to face the San Jose Sharks, a team that has totally dominated them over the past few seasons. The Sharks are at 7 straight wins and counting against the Canadiens, so they certainly look to be a good bet in this one. The bookies have the Sharks favored by 1 ½, with the O/U for this one set at 6. Will the Sharks continue to dominate this series, or can the Canadiens get a breakout win?
How to Bet Canadiens vs Sharks NHL Spread & Prediction
A 👀 at the 🔢 for #MTLvsSJS
🗒: https://t.co/PO1pdZhUtB pic.twitter.com/Tu6FECBUQK — San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) 7 de marzo de 2019
- When: Thursday, March 7 at 10:30 PM EST
- Where: SAP Center, San Jose
- TV: ESPN+
- Live Stream: NHL.tv
- NHL Spread: San Jose Sharks -180 (Total 6)
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Why bet on the Montreal Canadiens?
The reality for the Montreal Canadiens at this late stage of the season is that their only way into the playoffs is via the Wild card. They are don in the #4 spot in the Atlantic Division and are drifting further and further away from the 3 teams ahead of them. Catching them seems like a longshot indeed, but it’s not all bad news, as the Canadiens are in a decent position in the Wild Card race.
They are clinging to the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins on points, and while they are just 2 up on the Columbus Blue Jackets, there is a bit of a gap opening behind that group. We are essentially looking at 3 teams fighting for 2 spots. Montreal is 5-5 in their last 10 and have a 17-13-3 record on the road. They are a very good 21-12 ATS away from home.
Team Stats
Offense- Goals: 3.04
- Shots: 33.30
- PP/PK Percentage: 12.32
Defense
- Goals: 2.90
- Shots: 31.24
- PP/PK Percentage: 19.72
Why bet on the San Jose Sharks?
The San Jose Sharks still have designs on winning the Pacific Division and are getting help in that quest from the division-leading Calgary Flames, who have now lost 3 in a row after winning 7 on the trot. During that same stretch, the Sharks have gone 6-3-1 to pull within 3 points of the division lead with a game in hand to the Flames. San Jose cannot expect Calgary to continue losing, so they need to play their own part in getting back on top.
You certainly have to like their chances of getting another two points against a Montreal team that they have totally dominated over the last few seasons. You also need to like them at home, where they are 21-5-5. Not so good has been their home record ATS, where they are 14-17.
Team Stats
Offense- Goals: 3.61
- Shots: 33.77
- PP/PK Percentage: 25.26
- Goals: 3.12
- Shots: 28.41
- PP/PK Percentage: 18.32
Canadiens vs Sharks NHL Betting Trends
- Montreal is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing San Jose
- Montreal is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing San Jose
- The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Montreal’s last 13 games on the road
- San Jose is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home
- San Jose is 10-2 SU in its last 12 games at home
- The total has gone UNDER in 11 of San Jose’s last 15 games when playing Montreal
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction for Canadiens vs Sharks
The last two meetings between these teams have gone under the 6-goal total set for tonight, so that might well be worth having a look at. As for the win, I cannot look beyond the dominance that San Jose has had over Montreal, so let’s take them to win and cover.
Score: Montreal Canadiens 2 – San Jose Sharks 4
