Montreal Canadiens vs. Florida Panthers Prediction, Preview, and Odds

statsalt.com

01 January 0001

The Montreal Canadiens will go on the road and take on the Florida Panthers at FLA Live Arena. Montreal has a record of 27-35-6. The Panthers have a record of 33-27-7 on the season. These two teams faced each other twice this season with Florida winning both matchups. The puck drops at 7 PM EST.

Canadiens Snap Seven Game Losing Streak

Montreal was a +280 underdog in their previous game but they pulled off the major upset and defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-4. Joel Edmundson scored a goal and had an assist. Jonathan Drouin and Justin Barron each had two assists. Sam Montembeault stopped 39 out of 43 shots faced.

The offense has been struggling for Montreal recently. They scored three or fewer goals in eight of their last 10 games. The Habs rank 28 in goals per game and 30 in shots per game. Nick Suzuki leads the team with 51 points. Cole Caufield leads the Habs with 26 goals but he will miss the remainder of the season due to a shoulder injury.

Defense and goaltending have both been poor for the Habs. Montreal ranks 27 in goals against per game and 28 in shots against per game. Jake Allen has a record of 14-22-3 with a 3.43 GAA and .895 SV%. Sam Montembeault has a record of 13-13-3 with a 3.31 GAA and .905 SV%.

Montreal is last in the Atlantic division and they will not make the postseason.

Panthers Three Game Winning Streak Snapped

Florida was a -130 favorite in their last game but they lost 5-4 in overtime against the Winnipeg Jets. Matthew Tkachuk scored twice and had an assist. Aleksander Barkov and Brandon Montour each had two assists. Sam Reinhart scored a goal and had an assist. Sergei Bobrovsky allowed five goals on 27 shots faced.

Defense and goaltending have been somewhat average for the Panthers. They rank 23 in goals against per game and 23 in shots against per game. Sergei Bobrovsky has a record of 21-17-3 with a 2.98 GAA and a .904 SV%. Alex Lyon has a record of 3-2-1 with a 3.89 GAA and .892 SV%. Brandon Montour has 55 points on the season. He is tied for eighth in points and tied for eighth in assists among all defensemen in the league.

Florida is fourth in the Atlantic division and they are just three points away from a Wild Card spot. They will need their defense and goaltending to step it up in the final stretch of the season in order to try and get a Wild Card spot.

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Florida has had Montreal’s number in recent matchups. The Panthers are 7-3-0 in the last 10 matchups against the Canadiens, which includes Florida winning both matchups between the two teams this season. The Panthers have been good at home this season. They have a 19-10-4 home record on the year. Montreal is one of the worst teams in the league. The Canadiens rank 28th in goals per game, 30th in shots per game, 27th in goals against per game, and 28th in shots against per game. The Panthers rank ninth in goals per game and first in shots per game. Matthew Tkachuk leads the Panthers with 87 points. Tkachuk is tied for fifth in points and fifth in assists among all players in the league. Florida is the much better overall team and they will win this matchup by two or more goals.

Bet the goal spread (-1.5) and take Florida.

Prediction: Florida Panthers (-1.5)

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Rating:

Florida has been playing well on offense recently. They scored four or more goals in six of the last 10 games. The Panthers rank ninth in goals per game and first in shots per game. Matthew Tkachuk leads the Panthers with 87 points. Tkachuk is tied for fifth in points and fifth in assists among all players in the league. The defense and goaltending have both struggled for the Canadiens this season. They rank 27th in goals against per game and 28th in shots against per game. The over is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings between these two teams. Florida will score on Montreal and the over will hit in this contest.

Take the over, 6.5 goals.

Prediction: Over 6.5

Growing up, James was fascinated with watching sports, especially football, and basketball. This led to an interest in research and stats for fantasy sports, which quickly led to a successful career as a sports bettor. His passion has produced multiple tournament wins with generous earnings and he has combined that with his talented writing skills to join our team here at StatSalt. James graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Business and has used his overall knowledge of sports betting to make him one to follow each and every day.