Bell Centre plays host to a cross-continent showdown as the Anaheim Ducks head north to to meet the Montreal Canadiens. It’s the last time that these two clubs will go at it in the regular season. The game gets started at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 3 and it’ll air live on Reseau Des Sports.
Anaheim Ducks at Montreal Canadiens Odds
Anaheim is 25-27 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.4 units for moneyline bettors this year. 32 of its contests have gone under the total, while 19 have gone over and just one has pushed. This 2017-18 Ducks team is 11-15 SU on the road.
Anaheim has converted on just 17.5 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that places them in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 12th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 82.1 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, the Ducks have been penalized 4.6 times per game this season, and 5.8 per game over its last five road outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 8.0 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Boasting a .922 save percentage and 29.4 saves per game, John Gibson (19-21-6) has been the top option in goal for Anaheim this year. If head coach Randy Carlyle chooses to rest him, however, Anaheim might go with Ryan Miller (7-9-5), who has a .929 save percentage and 2.19 goals against average this year.
Rickard Rakell and Ryan Getzlaf will both lead the way for the visiting Ducks. Rakell (39 points) is up to 18 goals and 21 assists, and has recorded two or more points 11 times. Getzlaf has six goals and 25 assists to his name (and has registered a point in 17 games).
Montreal is 20-31 straight up (SU) and has lost 14.8 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 28 of its matches have gone under the total, while 21 have gone over and just two have pushed. It’s 12-15 SU at home this year.
The Canadiens have converted on just 19.9 percent of their power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 24th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 78.5 percent of all penalties.
Canadiens skaters have been called for penalties 3.7 times per game in total this season, and 2.8 per game over their last five at home. The team’s had to kill penalties just 6.8 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Carey Price (27.6 saves per game) has been the primary choice in goal for the Canadiens. Price has 14 wins, 23 losses, and four OT losses to his credit and has recorded a pedestrian 2.97 goals against average and a fairly-weak .906 save percentage this season.
Max Pacioretty (16 goals, 15 assists) will pace the attack for the Habs.
Anaheim Ducks vs. Montreal Canadiens Betting Picks
Pick: SU Winner – Canadiens, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Trends
Anaheim is 3-5 in games decided by a shootout this season while Montreal is 2-2 in shootouts.
Anaheim has managed 28.6 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Montreal is averaging 36.4 shots per game over its last five home outings.
Montreal has scored just 2.0 goals per game (while giving up 3.7) over its three-game losing streak.
Six of Anaheim’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 4-2 in those games.
This game features two of the tougher defenses in the league. Anaheim skaters have accounted for the league’s seventh-most hits per game (24.2) and the Canadiens have recorded the second-most (26.1).
