The Montreal Canadiens and the Vancouver Canucks are on a collision course tonight for their second meeting this season. The Canucks won the first one back in November to the tune of a 2-1 score, but a lot has happened since. In fact, both teams no longer have their head coaches from that game with them. Even though the Canadiens are extremely unlikely to make the playoffs, that’s not stopping them from wreaking havoc on the ice lately. The Canucks, on the other hand, are still in the thick of their hunt for an entry into the playoff picture. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NHL odds series, which includes our Canadiens-Canucks prediction, odds, and pick we have laid out below.
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Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Canadiens-Canucks odds:
NHL odds: Canadiens-Canucks Odds
Canadiens: +1.5 (-138) (+176 ML)
Canucks: -1.5 (+112) (-215 ML)
Over: 6.5 (-104)
Under: 6.5 (-118)
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Why the Canadiens Could Cover the Spread
The Habs continue to have success under interim head coach Martin St. Louis. After starting the St. Louis era with three straight losses, the Canadiens suddenly found their rhythm and won seven of eight games heading into tonight’s showdown with the Canucks. Perhaps no action has spoken louder of Montreal’s turnaround than its recent 5-4 overtime win over the Calgary Flames, who are among the top contenders for the Stanley Cup, last Thursday.
Then the Canadiens followed that up with another 5-goal effort in a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers to improve their record to 3-1 in their current road trip that ends in Vancouver, where Montreal is seemingly comfortable playing. The Canadiens are 7-3 in their last 10 games in Vancouver and 10-4 in their last 14 there. The offense is blasting in full force for the Canadiens of late, having scored at least four goals in five of their past six games, and that’s also in part because of Montreal’s power play that is starting to click.
The Canadiens have the second-worst success rate on the power play in the NHL this season at 13.5%. However, they have gone 4/16 on the man advantage over their last three games, including a pair in the Edmonton game. That sounds like trouble for the Canucks, who have only snuffed out 71% of opponents’ power play attacks since the start of February – fourth-worst in the league in that span. With Andrew Hammond being placed recently on the injured reserve with a lower-body injury, the Canadiens are expected to ride on Sam Montembeault for their goaltending needs.
Why the Canucks Could Cover the Spread
Just like the Canadiens, the Canucks are having tremendous success under their new head coach Bruce Boudreau. Vancouver is 5-1 in its last six games and is coming off a sensational 6-4 victory on the road against the Toronto Maple Leafs last Saturday. Down by a goal entering the third period, the Canucks went off in the final frame with three unanswered goals to take home their 28th win of the season. They have now scored 10 goals in two games.
Only the Flames are averaging more goals per game than the Canucks since the start of February, as Vancouver have found the back of the net on an average of 4.25 over the Canucks’ past 12 games. A big reason for that offensive outburst isn’t a shocker: JT Miller. The center, whose name is among the most talked about in trade rumors, has netted seven goals and 12 assists since February. He is currently on a nine-game point streak after scoring a goal and assisting on another in the win over Toronto.
Miller also had an assist in Vancouver’s November road win against the Canadiens. What the Canucks would love more to see Wednesday night is a return to form by goalie Thatcher Demko, who has allowed seven goals in his last two starts. Seeing the Canadiens again might spark Demko. He made 33 saves on 34 shots faced in the first meeting with Montreal this season. With Demko as Vancouver's top option between the pipes, the Canucks have managed to be second at the moment on 5-on-5 save percentage (.934).
Final Canadiens-Canucks Prediction & Pick
We should forget all that we know about the Canadiens pre-Martin St. Louis. This is a different Montreal team that is playing inspired and fully detached from its win-loss record. The Canadiens put up a stinker in a recent loss to the Winnipeg Jets, but have rebounded nicely since. Montreal is going to be competitive here, as it also takes advantage of the Canucks’ struggling PK.
Final Canadiens-Canucks Pick: Canadiens: +1.5 (-138)
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