In their first head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins meet at TD Garden for an Original Six tilt. New England Sports Network will showcase the game, and the opening face-off takes place at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 27.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Boston Bruins Odds
Boston (-185) is currently favored over Montreal (+160) and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under).
The Bruins are 6-4 straight up (SU) and have netted 1.1 units for moneyline bettors this season. That winning percentage, ranked 3rd in the Atlantic Division in this young season, is a regression from the 50-32 record that the team managed during the 2017-18 season campaign. Of the team’s 10 regular season outings, six have gone under the total, while four have gone over and none have pushed. The team is 4-0 SU at home this season.
Boston’s been able to convert on 31.0 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that places them in the top-5 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is rated 16th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 77.4 percent of all penalties.
As a team, Boston has been penalized 4.8 times per game this season, a number that has swelled some from last year’s 3.8 penalties per game the team gave up. After serving an average of 9.4 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team has had to kill penalties for 12.1 minutes per matchup this season.
Sporting a .945 save percentage and 23.0 saves per game, Jaroslav Halak (3-3-2) has been the top goalkeeper for the Bruins this season. If they, however, decide to give him a rest, the team could roll with Tuukka Rask (3-2-2 record, .901 save percentage, 3.38 goals against average).
Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak will each be focal points for the Bruins. Bergeron (16 points) has tallied seven goals and nine assists and has recorded two or more points in six different games this year. Pastrnak has 10 goals and five assists to his credit and has recorded at least one point in seven contests.
Montreal is 5-4 straight up (SU) and has netted 2.4 units for moneyline bettors this season. A total of four of its contests have gone over the total, while another four have gone under the total and just one has pushed. As an away team, Montreal is 1-3 SU so far.
Montreal’s scored on 19.4 percent of its power play chances this year after successfully converting on 21.3 percent of its extra-man opportunities in 2017-18 (when the team ranked ninth in the league in that category). The team’s gone from successfully defending 74.1 percent of opponent power plays (ranked 30th overall last season) to 74.2 percent this year.
Montreal’s skaters have been called for penalties 3.9 times per game this season, a number that’s fairly close to the 3.8 penalties per game given up last year. After serving an average of 8.6 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team’s been forced to stave off opponent power plays for 9.3 minutes per matchup this season.
Carey Price (24.0 saves per game) has been the primary choice in goal for Montreal. Price has three wins, three losses, and two OT losses to his credit, while registering a .906 save percentage and 2.48 goals against average this year.
Leading the offensive attack for the visiting Canadiens will be Max Domi (four goals, six assists) and Jeff Petry (one goal, eight assists).
Montreal Canadiens at Boston Bruins Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Bruins, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Trends
The under has hit in four of Boston’s last five games.
After averaging the 10th-most shots in the league last season (32.7 per game), Montreal’s attempted 32.4 shots per contest overall this season, and 32.4 in its last 10 games.
The Bruins are 3-1 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Canadiens are 1-3 SU when they spend more time in the box than the opposition.
After posting a 2-6 record in games decided by a shootout last year, Montreal is off to a 1-0 start in shootouts this season. Boston went 3-3 in shootouts last year and has yet to participate in one this time around.
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