Bell Centre plays host to an Eastern Conference showdown as the Montreal Canadiens welcome the visiting Washington Capitals. The match gets started at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 1 and it will be televised live on NBC Sports Washington.
Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens Odds
Montreal (+105) is playing the role of underdog to Washington (-125), and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -120 for the under and +100 for the over.
Montreal is 6-5 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 2.9 units this season. That early-season winning percentage is a huge turnaround from how the team performed during the 2017-18 season (29-53). Through 11 regular season matches, six of the team’s games have gone under the total, while four have gone over and just one has pushed. So far this year, the team’s 4-2 SU at home.
The Canadiens have converted on just 16.3 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that places them in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated 18th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 77.5 percent of all penalties.
As a team, the Canadiens have been penalized 4.2 times per game this season, a number that’s up some from last year’s 3.8 penalties per game they gave up. After serving an average of 8.6 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team has been forced to kill penalties for 9.6 minutes per matchup this season.
Averaging 24.4 saves per game with a .915 save percentage, Carey Price (4-4-2) has been the primary goalkeeper for Montreal this year. If Montreal chooses to give him the night off, however, it may go with Antti Niemi (2-1-1 record, .898 save percentage, 3.26 goals against average).
Max Domi and Tomas Tatar will both lead the charge for the Canadiens. Domi (11 points) has tallied five goals and six assists and has recorded multiple points in three different games this year. Tatar has three goals and six assists to his credit and has recorded at least one point in four games.
On the visitors’ side of the ice, Washington is 5-5 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of seven of its matches have gone over the total, while three have gone under the total and none have pushed. The Capitals are 2-3 SU as the road team this season.
The Capitals enter the matchup with the second-strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as they’ve converted on 37.1 percent of their extra-man chances in the 2018-19 season. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 26th overall and it’s successfully defended 72.5 percent of all opponent power plays.
Washington’s skaters have been penalized 4.5 times per game this season. Last year, that number was at 4.0, which was the seventh-worst mark in the league. After serving an average of 9.5 penalty minutes per game a year ago (seventh-most in the league), the team has been forced to kill penalties for 9.6 minutes per matchup this season.
Braden Holtby (24.8 saves per game) has been the main option in goal for Washington. Holtby owns a 4-4-2 record, while registering a .888 save percentage and 3.41 goals against average this year.
For the visiting Capitals, the offense will be facilitated by Evgeny Kuznetsov (five goals, 10 assists) and John Carlson (five goals, nine assists).
Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens Betting Predictions
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner – Capitals, O/U – Under
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Notes
Betting Notes
The Capitals are 3-0 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 4-2 in games where they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 minutes, total.
The total has gone under in three of Montreal’s last five outings.
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