Montreal Canadiens vs Washington Capitals Betting Pick & Prediction 10/31/24

Looking to win big? The Canadiens and Capitals face off at 7:00 ET on ESPN+. The Capitals are hosting the game at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. The over/under for this game is set at 6 goals, and the Capitals are the -1.5 goal favorites against the Canadiens in a Eastern conference matchup.

MONTREAL CANADIENS VS WASHINGTON CAPITALS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Washington Capitals -1.5

This game will be played at Capital One Arena at 7:00 ET on Thursday, October 31st.

WHY BET THE WASHINGTON CAPITALS:

• With the Capitals being favored by 1.5, our NHL analytics models has this one playing out 4-3 in favor of the Capitals.
• Take the Capitals on the moneyline
• On the spread, we like Canadiens (+1.5)

Will the Canadiens Exceed Expectations on the Road?

Montreal fell to 4-5-1 after an 8-2 loss to the Kraken. The Canadiens entered as the underdog on the puck line, with the total set at 6 goals. The combined 10 goals easily surpassed that figure.

The Kraken scored just 25 seconds into the game and went on to score four times in the first period. Montreal’s two goals came from Cole Caufield and Josh Anderson.

Montreal managed 30 shots on goal in their 8-2 loss to Seattle, but only found the net twice. Cole Caufield scored his 9th goal of the season, while Josh Anderson added his 2nd, with Anderson’s goal coming at 4:32 in the 3rd period.

The Canadiens had 11 giveaways and were shut out in the 2nd period. Jayden Struble picked up his 2nd assist of the season on Anderson’s goal, and Mike Matheson recorded his 9th assist.

Montreal’s defense struggled in their last game, giving up the first four goals and allowing 8 overall. The Kraken scored just 25 seconds into the first period and added four more after the Canadiens made it 4-1. Sam Montembeault finished with a 50% save percentage, and the defense had 2 takeaways and 19 hits.

Can Washington Pull Out the Win as Home Favorites?

With a 5-3 win over the Rangers, the Capitals improved to 6-2-0 this season. As underdogs on the puck line, Washington covered, and the total of 8 goals surpassed the pre-game line of 6.

Four different players scored for the Capitals, and they took the lead at 16:37 in the first period. Alex Ovechkin led the way with two goals in the game.

Alex Ovechkin led the way with two goals, bringing his season total to four. The Capitals got off to a fast start, with Ovechkin’s first goal coming 3:23 into the game. He added another shortly after, at 14:50 in the first period. Connor McMichael netted his fourth goal of the season, while Aliaksei Protas scored his second. Nic Dowd capped off the scoring with an empty-netter, his fourth goal of the year.

Washington fired 46 shots on goal and recorded 10 giveaways. The Capitals scored three times in the first period, with Protas adding another in the second. Dowd’s empty-net goal came with just 36 seconds left in the game.

Defensively, the Capitals will look to improve after giving up 3 goals to the Rangers, including the first goal just 4:21 into the 1st period and another 30 seconds into the 2nd. Logan Thompson made 16 saves with a save percentage of 84.2%. The defense also had 3 takeaways and 17 hits.