Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins will look to take care of business at home when they host the desperate Montreal Canadiens in a matchup of longtime Eastern Conference rivals on Friday night. Now, with both teams looking to bounce back from losses the last time out, let’s find out which team is offering the best value against their NHL Odds for the Montreal vs Pittsburgh.
Montreal vs Pittsburgh – NHL Lines, Analysis and Predictions
- When: Friday February 14, 2020, 7:00 PM ET
- Where: Ppg Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
- TV: TSN2, RDS, ATT-Pitt
- NHL Odds: Montreal +170/Pittsburgh -189 / Total: 5.5
Why Bet On Montreal
Despite dropping two straight, the Canadiens have been playing some solid hockey as they look to move up from 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings. The Canadiens had won three straight and nine of 12 before dropping losing to Arizona and most recently, Boston on Wednesday night. Montreal fell 4-1 to the Bruins and then they got even worse news when they found out that captain Shea Weber will be sidelined for four to six weeks due to a sprained left ankle. The Canadiens have put just three goals on the board over their last two losses.
“We haven’t really generated all that much for whatever reason,” forward Brendan Gallagher said after Wednesday’s 4-1 loss at Boston. “It’s disappointing in a sense. … We need to find a way to collect points.”
Montreal averages 3.0 goals per game (17th) while allowing an identical 3.0 goals per game defensively (16th). The Canadiens have gone 13-15-4 on the road this season.
Team Stats
Offense- Goals: 3.05
- Shots: 34.36
- PP/PK Percentage: 18.4
- Goals: 3.05
- Shots: 31.46
- PP/PK Percentage: 20.67
Canadiens Betting Trends
- Canadiens are 5-1 in their last 6 Friday games.
- Canadiens are 4-1 in their last 5 road games.
- Canadiens are 5-2 in their last 7 games playing on 1 days rest.
- Canadiens are 1-4 in their last 5 games as a road underdog.
Why Bet On Pittsburgh
The Penguins have lost two of its last three including a narrow 2-1 overtime loss against Tampa Bay on Tuesday night. Evgeni Malkin lit the lamp in the first period for Pittsburgh, but Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 35 of 36 shots while making several stupendous stops to get the win. Still, the Penguins are in a good spot as they sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings, but just three points behind first-place Washington in the Metropolitan Division.
“It’s going to be tight hockey from here on in,” captain Sidney Crosby said after his team’s loss to the Lightning. “Doesn’t make it any better when you lose.”
Pittsburgh averages a stellar 3.3 goals per game (8th) while limiting the opposition to just 2.7 goals per game defensively, to rank an encouraging sixth in goals allowed. The Penguins have gone a blistering 19-5-4 at home this season.
Team Stats
Offense- Goals: 3.31
- Shots: 32.04
- PP/PK Percentage: 19.88
- Goals: 2.73
- Shots: 30.09
- PP/PK Percentage: 17.22
Penguins Betting Trends
- Penguins are 6-0 in their last 6 Friday games.
- Penguins are 6-2 in their last 8 games as a favorite.
- Penguins are 20-8 in their last 28 overall.
- Penguins are 14-6 in their last 20 when their opponent scores 2 goals or less in their previous game.
Montreal vs Pittsburgh Expert Analysis and Prediction
Montreal has gone 4-1 in their last 5 road games, but just 1-4 in their last 5 games as a road underdog. Conversely, Pittsburgh has shown a nice ability to bounce back from a poor offensive performance by going a perfect 11-0 in their last 11 games after scoring two goals or less in their previous game. Not only that, but the Penguins have also gone 12-2-2 in their last 16 home games and they’ll be looking for some payback for their 4-1 home loss against Montreal the last time these two met. With Montreal going 3-7 in the last 10 meetings and Pittsburgh totally focused in this one, I like the Penguins to get it dome by at least two goals!
Pick: Pittsburgh 4 Montreal 2
