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The Canadiens and the Canucks meet in Vancouver on Tuesday! These two teams have played well as of late. These two teams are having similar seasons, but the Canucks are the better team and the Canadiens could get a big win if they could pull it off. We continue our NHL odds series with a Canadiens-Canucks prediction and pick.
The Canadiens have had a solid season this year, but they enter this game on a two-game losing streak and have a 30-27-6 record. Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield carry them and they both need to have a big game against the Canucks in this matchup. This would be a solid win for Montreal and the playoffs are still potentially on the table with a win in this game.
The Canucks are playing solid hockey, but are not as good as they were last year. They have a 29-23-11 record this season, but they need some wins. Quinn Hughes is the best player on the Canucks and has had to carry the team at times this season. The Canucks do have some depth on their roster, but no one stands out as much as Hughes. The Canucks can get a big win at home in this game.
Here are the Canadiens-Canucks NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Canadiens-Canucks Odds
Montreal Canadiens: +1.5 (-188)
Moneyline: +140
Vancouver Canucks: -1.5 (+152)
Moneyline: -170
Over: 5.5 (-122)
Under: 5.5 (+100)
How To Watch Canadiens vs Canucks
Time: 10:00 pm ET/7:00 pm PT
TV: ESPN+/TSN2, RDS/Sportsnet Pacific
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why the Canadiens Could Cover the Spread/Win
Montreal's offense has been unimpressive as a unit this season. They score 2.92 goals per game, have a 21.5% power play percentage, and an 11.2% shooting percentage.
Suzuki and Caufield are the two best players on this team and are the ones the Canadiens rely on for consistent offense. Suzuki leads the team in points and assists with 65 and 46, respectively. Caufield is second in points, with 56, while he is the leader in goals, with 31 on the season, making Suzuki second with his 19.
The Canadiens don't offer much to be impressed by on offense, but Vancouver has been in the bottom half of the NHL in defense, so something has to give. Expect Montreal to find some success against this defense.
The Canadiens' defense is worse than their offense, and they might be in for a long game. They allow 3.27 goals per game and have an 89.3% save percentage.
Sam Montembeault is Montreal's primary goalie and has been solid in his role. Through 47 games, he has 22 wins, 21 losses, and four overtime losses. He allows 2.89 goals per game and has a 90% save percentage. Cayden Primeau and Jakub Dobes are next up and help when Montembeault needs it. Primeau is 2-3-1, allowing 4.70 goals per game with an 83.6% save percentage through 11 games. In comparison, Dobes is 6-3-1, allowing 2.49 goals per game with a 91.3% save percentage through 11 games.
The Canadiens have struggled on defense, but they should find some success against Vancouver. The Canucks don't offer much on offense, making this a matchup to watch on this side of the ice.
Why the Canucks Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Canucks were great on offense last season, but have fallen off a cliff this year. They score 2.71 goals per game, have a 22.3% power play percentage, and have a 10.7% percentage.
Hughes is the best player on an offense that has struggled to find consistency, but another key player is Jake DeBrusk. Hughes leads the team in points and assists, with 60 and 46, respectively. DeBrusk is the goal-scoring leader, with 22 on the year. Connor Garland, Brock Boeser, and Elias Petterson are also key to this offense, but they have had highly up-and-down seasons on offense so far.
Vancouver's offense isn't trustworthy this season. They might be able to find some success against Montreal, but this offense will not be why they win the game.
The Canucks' defense was great last year but has been okay at best and inconsistent across this season. They allow 3.02 goals per game and have an 89.6% save percentage.
Kevin Lankinen is Vancouver's primary goalie and has been a solid goalkeeper. He has 22 wins, 11 losses, and seven overtime losses through 40 games. He also allows 2.53 goals per game and has a 90.5% save percentage. Thatcher Demko has also come in to spell Lankinen. He has six wins, six losses, and three overtime losses through 17 games, and is allowing 2.87 goals per game with an 89.1% save percentage.
This defense is nothing special, but they should have success against a Montreal team that has not been anything special on offense this season. This is a very even matchup on the ice.
Final Canadiens-Canucks Prediction & Pick
These two teams are very similar. Both have solid seasons but are not impressing too much. The Canadiens should cover and keep this game close, and I think they are more well-rounded so that they might win outright, too.
Final Canadiens-Canucks Prediction & Pick: Montreal Canadiens +1.5 (-188)
