For the second time in just a week, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Montreal Canadiens will meet on Saturday night. The Penguins are itching to meet Montreal after suffering a bitter loss at home against the Habs on January 3. The Canadiens, on the other hand, are looking to get back on track after having their impressive win streak snapped by the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.
On the same day as this game, the Panthers and the Seahawks engage in their NFC Divisional Round matchup. Read what we have to say about this game, including our pick and prediction, here.
[sc:NHLArticles ]Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens Betting Preview
Where: Bell Centre, Montreal
When: Saturday, January 10, 2015 7:00 PM ET
Line: Pittsburgh Penguins at Montreal Canadiens – view all NHL lines
Betting on the Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins have lost their grip of the top spot in the Eastern Conference, thanks to a barrage of losses that came their way over the last few weeks. Pittsburgh lost its second game in a row Wednesday after falling victim to the Boston Bruins, 3-2, in overtime. It was the Penguins’ sixth defeat in their last eight games.
[sc:NHL240 ]That being said, the Pens are just two points short of the conference-leading Tampa Bay Lightning, who have 56 points.
A large part of Pittsburgh’s troubles is the obvious drop in form of their power play unit. The Pens are among the leaders in power play conversion this season with a rate of 21.5 percent. However, the team has netted just one goal in 13 attempts on the man advantage over the Penguins’ last five games.
The struggle was highlighted even more when they went just 0-for-4 in the loss to Boston. They may have another tough time on the power play against Montreal, who own the NHL’s sixth-best penalty kill percentage of 85.6.
It’s important for the Penguins to find their offense early, especially when considering the subpar performance of their defense lately. The Penguins have allowed 10 goals over their last three games, including their 4-1 loss to the Canadiens on January 3.
The Penguins are seventh in the league in scoring with 2.95 goals per game.
Evgeni Malkin, the team’s leading scorer with 17 goals, only has three goals in the last eight games. He had a goal and an assist though against the Bruins. Sidney Crosby, meanwhile, didn’t register any points in that game, but has five assists in three outings thus far this month.
Will the Penguins fall victims to Montreal again? Create a betting account now and get into the thrill of betting on hockey.
Betting on the Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens saw their six-game win streak end with a 4-2 loss against Tampa Bay on Tuesday, but don’t expect that setback to sour their mood when they go up against Pittsburgh on Friday. After all, they convincingly beat the Penguins just last week.
In that game, Max Pacioretty and Tom Gilbert led the team as each recorded a goal and an assist. Pacioretty carries a mild streak into the Saturday showdown with Pittsburgh, having scored a goal in each of the Habs’ last three games. Pacioretty’s recent exploits on offense is a reflection of a Montreal team that has found its touch on the offensive end of the ice. The Habs have scored an average of 3.1 goals per game in their last eight outings.
That kind of offense and a steady goaltending from Carey Price have undoubtedly caused this late Canadiens surge. Price, who had a fantastic December—wherein he registered a .937 saves percentage—is continuing to be a huge factor for Montreal this January, notwithstanding a bad game against Tampa Bay.
The Canadiens have not surrendered more than a goal in five of their last eight games.
Montreal is 4-2 in their last six games in Bell Centre.
Writer’s Prediction
Pittsburgh wins, 2-1.
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