It’s a good thing the Canadiens are nine points clear of Boston in the Atlantic because they’ve caught the injury bug and it’s starting to ravage their lineup. Somehow, they manage to keep winning with Phillip Danault, Brian Flynn, Torrey Mitchell and Michael McCarron anchoring them at the center position. That group will play in front of Carey Price tonight when they scrum with the 25-9-5 Wild in Minnesota looking to earn their fifth win in six games.
- The visiting team is 2-6 in its last 8 games in this matchup.
- The Canadiens are 0-4 in their last 4 games against the Wild.
- The Wild are 8-1 in their last 9 games at home.
A battle of two of this year’s top candidates for the Vezina Trophy will ensue tonight when the 20-6-4 Price looks down the ice at a 21-7-3 Devan Dubnyk. Duby leads the league in most of the important goaltender categories and is rocking an insane .939 save percentage. While the Wild netminder has been consistent all year, Price has seen his level of play take a serious dip as he posted a miserable .899 save percentage in 11 December starts. He’s started to rediscover his form to some degree but the Habs’ injuries are clearly affecting his play.
With their win in Winnipeg last night, the Canadiens have now won four straight road games and opened as a small underdog for their game with Minnesota. The Wild are currently tied for having played the fewest games this season and if you take their average points per game, they are up there with teams like the Blue Jackets, Capitals and Canadiens. They’ve allowed the fewest goals in the league and should be able to do a better job of shutting down a decimated Habs roster than the Jets did.
A reason to target the Canadiens tonight is their 6-2 record in the second game of back-to-backs this season that’s profited $100 bettors $356.36.
Montreal Canadiens vs Minnesota Wild Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
Supporters of the Montreal Canadiens have seen them go 26-10-6 so far this season, while the Wild are at 25-9-5. In totals betting, the Minnesota Wild are 15-17-7, while the Canadiens are 18-16-8. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Minnesota vs Montreal injuries news.
According to new NHL Power Rankings here at Odds Shark, it's the No. 4-ranked Minnesota Wild and the No. 6-rated Montreal Canadiens in this matchup.
Statistical Matchup
The game also pits Minnesota's No. 4-ranked offense, averaging 3.15 goals per game, against a Canadiens defense that ranks No. 5 at 2.4 goals allowed. The Wild power play is averaging 19.09% while the Canadiens defense kills off 79.61% of their penalties.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
The Canadiens were a 7-4 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against the Jets. That made Sportsbooks of bettors who got Montreal at +123 on the moneyline, while the total score (11) was good news for OVER bettors.
Minnesota won its last outing, a 2-1 result against the Ducks on January 08. Bettors who backed the Wild at -103 on the moneyline won on the day, and the total score (3) sent UNDER bettors to the payout window.
- Montreal is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games
- Montreal is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Montreal's last 6 games
- Montreal is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
- Minnesota is 12-1 ATS in its last 13 games
- Minnesota is 14-2 SU in its last 16 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games
- Minnesota is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
Next Betting Matchups
Montreal home to New York, Saturday, January 14th
Minnesota at Dallas, Saturday, January 14th
