A win tonight could put the Florida Panthers in a Wild Card position, but the Montreal Canadiens will attempt to play spoiler. It's time to continue our NHL odds series with a Panthers-Canadiens prediction, pick, and how to watch.
Florida continues their three-game Canada road trip, coming off a much-needed win over Toronto to end a four-game skid. Sam Reinhart tied the game with just a minute left, and Brandon Montour won it for the Panthers in overtime, to keep them just one point behind Pittsburgh for the final playoff spot. Tonight they face the Montreal Canadiens. Montreal is coming off a loss to the Flyers but had won two in a row before that. In the last meeting between these two teams, Florida poured on the goals, winning the game 9-5.
Here are the Panthers-Canadiens NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Panthers-Canadiens Odds
Florida Panthers: -1.5 (+105)
Montreal Canadiens: +1.5 (-126)
Over: 6.5 (-130)
Under: 6.5 (+106)
How To Watch Panthers vs. Canadiens
TV: TSN2/ESPN+
Stream: NHLPP/ESPN+
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Panthers Could Cover The Spread
Against Ottawa, the penalty kills let the Panthers down, and they needed to fix that. They had the opportunity to rise to the challenge against Toronto and did just so. In four penalty kill opportunities, they killed all four of them. That was a vast improvement over giving up three power-play goals in four opportunities against the Senators. The Panthers should be able to continue that tonight, facing off against Montreal who is near the bottom of the league on the man advantage. They are currently sitting at 17.0 percent conversion on the power play, worst than both of the Panther's last two opponents.
Florida also needed better goaltending than they got in the game against Ottawa and Alex Lyon rose to the occasion. Lyon saves 38 of 40 shots on goals, and his .950 save percentage made him the second star of the game and gave the Panthers a win. Since his first appearance on January 19th, Lyon has been hit or miss in terms of quality. He has five games over .905 in save percentage but also has three games under .860. With Bobrovsky and Knight out, if Florida goes with a different goaltender it will be rookie Mack Guzda. Guzda would be making his first NHL start but has played well at times in the AHL for the Charlotte Checkers.
Even with some of the losses, the Panthers are still doing the small things that help win games. They are controlling the offensive zone, creating chances, and outshooting their opponents. If they can continue that tonight, and keep the improvements they made in their last outing, this should be a win for the Panthers.
Why The Canadiens Could Cover The Spread
Montreal has yet to beat Florida this year, and the games have not even been close. They have lost their three games to the Panthers by a combined score of 22-9. They have won three of their last five games though, including wins over the Lightning and Sabres. They have started to find some offense in those games as well. The team has struggled since losing Cole Caufield in January, but Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Nick Suzuki are starting to pick up.
Against the Flyers, Harvey-Pinard scored again, as did Brendan Gallagher getting his seventh. With the gluttony of injuries to the Canadiens, they will need that continued production from Harvey-Pinard and Suzuki, plus a little help from guys like Gallagher to remain competitive.
The goaltending situation for the Canadiens is a major question mark though. On their last outing, Montreal decided to go with Cayden Primeau. That gave Primeau his first start of the year and only the 16th in his NHL career. Jake Allen may be back in goal tonight. In his last four starts, he has had two stellar performances, both with over .920 save percentages. In those games, he lost both because the offense struggled to score. If the top line and Allen can both click on the same night, they will get a win.
Final Panthers-Canadiens Prediction & Pick
The Panthers showed some amazing guts to get a win in their last time out. They are in danger of going from the best team in the NHL, getting the President's Trophy, to missing the playoffs. Only three teams have ever missed the playoffs after winning the President's Trophy, with the most recent being the 2015 Boston Bruins. This team does not want to join that list, and if they play as they did against Toronto, they will not. Expect a lot of shots on goals, and Florida to come away with a win.
Final Panthers-Canadiens Prediction & Pick: Florida -1.5 (+105)
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