Two of the best teams in the NHL’s Eastern Conference will put on a New Year’s Eve show tonight when the Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens do battle in Pennsylvania. Oddsmakers initially set the Pens as -145 chalk with a total of 5.5.
- The road team is 6-2 in the last 8 meetings.
- The OVER is 4-0-2 in the last 6 meetings in Pittsburgh.
- The Penguins are 5-1 in their last 6 vs the Atlantic Division.
Pittsburgh has enjoyed a fantastic 11-1-2 run to stay on pace behind the red-hot Columbus Blue Jackets atop of the Metropolitan Division. Captain Sidney Crosby has scored in five straight contests as part of his six-game point streak (five goals, four assists). The Penguins are 9-0-1 in their previous 10 appearances at home.
Carey Price is known as the best goaltender in the world, but the netminder has been average lately. Price has dropped four of his last six starts (2-2-2) and owns an unimpressive .891 save percentage in that span.
Veteran stopper Marc-Andre Fleury will get the nod for Pittsburgh as starter Matt Murray is sidelined week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Fleury owns a 5-0-1 mark in his last six appearances and opened the year with nine straight victories.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
On the Sportsbook NHL betting line for this matchup, Pittsburgh sat as -145 favorites over at Sportsbook. The total was set at 5.5 at Sportsbook but may move closer to puck drop.
Prediction-scoring formulas run on this game pick a potential 2.9-2.7 result in favor of the Penguins. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming NHL matchups here.
Montreal Canadiens vs Pittsburgh Penguins Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Pittsburgh Penguins are 24-8-5 so far on the season. The Montreal Canadiens, meanwhile, are 22-9-5. OVER/UNDER betting fans have seen Pittsburgh go 23-10-4 and the Canadiens go 14-15-7 on the totals. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Pittsburgh vs Montreal injuries news.
The NHL Power Rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Pittsburgh Penguins rated this week at No. 2 and the Montreal Canadiens sitting at No. 10.
Statistical Matchup
Offensively, the game matches up the Pittsburgh Penguins No. 2-ranked offense (3.49 goals per game) against a Montreal Canadiens defense that ranks No. 5 at 2.28 goals per game allowed. The Penguins Sportsbook has clicked at a 22.48% rate while the Canadiens have a 81.06% rate on the penalty kill.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
In their last action, Montreal was a 3-2 Sportsbook on the road against the Panthers. Bettors on Montreal at -106 on the moneyline collected their winnings from that game, while the total score (5) sent UNDER bettors home happy as well.
Pittsburgh was a 3-2 Sportsbook in its last match at home against the Hurricanes. They won as favorites, while the total score of 5 made Sportsbooks of UNDER bettors.
- Montreal is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games
- Montreal is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
- Montreal is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games on the road
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Montreal's last 9 games on the road
- Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone OVER in 15 of Pittsburgh's last 19 games
- Pittsburgh is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games at home
- Pittsburgh is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games at home
Next Betting Matchups
Montreal at Nashville, Tuesday, January 3rd
Pittsburgh home to Tampa Bay, Sunday, January 8th
