Pittsburgh Penguins vs Montreal Canadiens Betting Pick & Prediction 12/13/23

Looking to win big? The Penguins and Canadiens face off at 7:00 ET on SN PT. The Canadiens are hosting the game at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC. The Penguins are the favorites in this Eastern conference matchup against Canadiens. The over/under for the game is set at 6.5 goals.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS VS MONTREAL CANADIENS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Montreal Canadiens +1.5

This game will be played at Bell Centre at 7:00 ET on Wednesday, December 13th.

WHY BET THE MONTREAL CANADIENS:

  • In spite of being 1.5 goal underdogs, we anticipate the Canadiens winning this one 4-3.
  • We like the Canadiens on the moneyline (+131)
  • The Canadiens are also our pick on the spread at +1.5

Taking a Look at the Penguins Chances in Montreal

This season, the Penguins have a mark of 12-12-3. When going on the road, Pittsburgh has a record of 6-6-2 record, while they are 6-6-1 at their home arena. They are currently positioned 7th in the Eastern Metropolitan division and 12th in the Eastern conference.

Analyzing their performance against the puck line, Pittsburgh has a 12-15 record. On the road they are 6-8 against the puck line, while their overall home performance is6-7. On average, Pittsburgh’s games have finished with 5.6 goals per game. The season’s average over/under line stands at 6.5. In total, the Penguins come in with an over/under record of 8-17-2.

Although Pittsburgh has a straight up record of 0-3 in their last three road games, they have not held up as well vs the puck line going 0-3. The team averaged 1 goals per game in these games.

On the offensive side, the Penguins are scoring an 2.9 goals per game this season, ranking 24th in the NHL. When it came to shots on target per game, they are 9th in the league. In terms of the Penguins’ offense during power plays, they are 29th in power play goals and 17th in shorthanded goals.

Pittsburgh’s leading scorer is Sidney Crosby. So far, he has 15 goals which is 10th in the NHL. In addition to his goal scoring, Crosby has 13 assists this season.

The Canadiens’ defense comes into the game with a ranking of 29th in takeaways and an average of 4.9 takeaways per contest. They hold 4th place in the NHL for goals allowed, with an average of 3.2 goals given up per game.

Goalie Alex Nedeljkovic comes into the game having made five starts this season. So far, his record is 2-2 and he has a save percentage of 93.7%.

Will the Canadiens Pull Through as the Home Underdog?

For the season, the Canadiens currently hold an overall record of 12-13-3. On the road, Montreal has gone 6-4-2 and they are 6-9-1 at home. They are currently positioned 6th in the Eastern Atlantic division and 13th in the Eastern conference.

In terms of the puck line, Montreal are 16-12. When playing on the road against the puck line, they are 8-4, while their overall home performance is 8-8. This season, Montreal’s games have an average of 6.2 goals per game. The average over/under number for the season is 6.4. The Canadiens come in with an over/under performance of 12-15-1.

Montreal has played well in their previous three home games, going 2-1 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 2 goals per game while allowing 2. The team also performed well vs the puck line at 2-1.

When looking at their offense, the Canadiens have an average of 2.6 goals per game this season, positioning themselves 28th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are ranked 26th in the league. Montreal’s offense is currently ranked 19th in power play goals. When it comes to shorthanded goals, they are 13th in the league.

Montreal’s leading scorer is Sean Monahan. So far, he has 8 goals which is 96th in the NHL. In addition to his goal scoring, Monahan has 8 assists this season.

Coming into the game, the Canadiens’ defense is 29th in takeaways at 4.9 takeaways per contest. Overall, they are giving up 3.2 goals per game which is 4th in the NHL.

Goalie Sam Montembeault comes into the game having made 11 starts this season. So far, his record is 6-4 and he has a save percentage of 91.2%.