Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens Prediction, Preview, and Odds
A pair of Eastern Conference teams clash on the ice in search of a win in the French-speaking province of Quebec north of the border. The Washington Capitals are on the road as they travel to face the Montreal Canadiens Saturday night. Washington was waxed 6-1 on the road by Ottawa in their previous contest Wednesday night. Montreal was dumped 5-2 at home by Minnesota in their previous game Tuesday night. In the last 10 meetings between the teams, Washington owns a commanding 7-2-1 advantage but it was Montreal skating to a 6-2 triumph at home in the most recent matchup on April 6.
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Washington Capitals Looking to Get Untracked
Washington was brutal in their road opener as they were waxed by the Senators Tuesday night. The Capitals now look to regroup on the road here as they entered Friday 1-2-0 on the season, leaving them tied for seventh in the Metropolitan Division, four points behind the Flyers and Hurricanes for the top spot. Washington is 32 in the league in goals per game with one goal per contest on the year. The Capitals are tied for 25 in the league in goals against as they allow an average of four goals per contest. Washington is tied for 30 in the league in power play success as they have converted 0% of their chances with the man advantage this season. The Capitals are tied for 25 in penalty killing as they successfully navigate through 69.2% of their shorthanded situations this season.
Against Ottawa, Washington was outplayed in all facets and it led to a one-sided blowout loss. The Capitals owned a 12-6 advantage in shots in the opening period of play but skated to the dressing room trailing 2-1 after 20 minutes of play. After falling behind 2-0, John Carlson got Washington on the board with his first goal of the season at 18:54 off assists from Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson. That was as close as the Capitals would get in the contest. The second period saw Washington outshot 12-9 and outscored 3-0 to trail 5-1 after 40 minutes of play. In the third period, the Capitals were outshot 11-3 and outscored 1-0 to put the game away. Darcy Kuemper made 23 saves for Washington, who was outshot 29-24, in the loss. He is expected to get the start in goal again for this contest.
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Montreal Canadiens Try to Bounce Back at Home
Montreal was clobbered by Minnesota at home in their previous game Tuesday night so they have had time to regroup heading into this game. The Canadiens entered Friday night 1-1-1 on the season as they look to gain ground in the Atlantic Division. They stand seventh in the standings, three points behind Boston, Ottawa and Detroit for the top spot. Montreal stands tied for 12 in the league in offensive production with 3.33 goals per game on the season. The Canadiens are tied for 25 in goals against as they allow an average of four goals per contest. Montreal is 26 in the league in power play success by cashing in 9.1% of their chances with the man advantage on the year. The Canadiens are 20 in penalty killing by successfully getting through 73.7% of their shorthanded situations this season.
Against Minnesota, Montreal dug themselves a hole early that they were unable to get out of, sending them to their first defeat in regulation. The Canadiens were outshot 11-5 in the opening period of play and trailed 2-0 on the scoreboard at the first intermission. In the second period, Montreal was outshot by a 15-9 margin and was outscored 2-1 to trail 4-1 at the second intermission. After giving up the first goal of the stanza to trail 3-0, Tanner Pearson got the Canadiens on the board with his second goal of the year at 9:47, unassisted, to trim the margin to two goals. They gave up a goal late in the period to restore their three-goal deficit. In the third period, Montreal held a 14-9 edge in shots on goal with each team scoring once, leaving the hosts on the wrong end of the scoreboard. The Canadiens gave up a power play goal to trail 5-1 before Alex Newhook closed the scoring with his third goal of the season at 17:35 off assists from David Savard and Cole Caufield. Samuel Montembeault made 30 saves for the Canadiens, who were outshot 35-28, in the loss. Jake Allen is expected to get the call between the pipes for this contest.
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Best Bets for this Game
Full-Game Side Bet
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Washington has looked abysmal in the early going this season. They were dominated by Ottawa Tuesday night and having three days off ahead of this game may not be what the doctor ordered for them to get on track. The Capitals are a veteran team that has looked listless and perhaps the only way to get them going is to play a series of games in a short span of time. Montreal was knocked off by Minnesota in their last game as they were unable to do much against Marc-Andre Fleury. Facing a leaky Capitals team should help their offense get back on track and playing at the Bell Centre is a boost as well. Take Montreal to win at home as Washington continues to struggle in the early stages of the season.
Prediction: Montreal Canadiens +110
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Washington enters this game having seen the under hit in two of their first three games of the season. The Capitals have seen an average total of five goals per game this season though their game against Ottawa, their first road game of the season, saw the teams combine for seven goals. Montreal has gone over the number in two of their three games this season. The Canadiens own an average total of 7.33 goals per game this season though that number drops to an average of six goals per game on home ice. While both teams are weak defensively, until we see Washington’s offense get going, you have to lean toward the under in this contest.
Prediction: Under 6.5
Chris King has been immersed in the world of professional and collegiate sports for more than three decades. Whether it's playing pickup games or being involved in organized sports to being a fan, he's checked all the boxes. From the NFL to arena football, the NHL to the KHL, the NBA to the WNBA to college hoops, and even MLB to the KBO. If it's out there, he's covered it and bet on it as well, as Chris has been an expert bettor in his career. Before joining Winners and Whiners back in 2015, his work appeared around the internet and in print. He's written books for Ruckus Books about college basketball, the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, golf, and the World Cup. If you're looking for the inside track on hitting a winner, do yourself a favor and read what Chris has to say.
