Calgary Flames at Montreal Canadiens NHL Picks & Predictions 12/7/2017

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Bell Centre

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Calgary Flames travel to Bell Centre to play the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, December 7, 2017. The opening line for this game has the Flames at +218 and the Canadiens at -245.

Calgary has a record of 14-12-1 this season and on the road they have a record of 7-4-1. They are 5th in the Pacific Division. They've scored 80 goals and given up 88 goals for a point differential of -8. For the season they have an ATS record of 14-13-0 and an over/under record of 14-12-0. Montreal has a record of 13-13-3 including 8-6-2 at home this season. They are 3rd in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 81 goals and surrendered 90 for a goal differential of -9. Their record against the spread is 13-16-0 while their over/under record is 14-13-0.

Valuable Calgary Flames Betting Trends

The Calgary Flames are 14-13-0 straight up this year

The Calgary Flames are 14-12-0 against the over/under this season

Important Montreal Canadiens Betting Trends

The Montreal Canadiens are 13-16-0 straight up this year

The Montreal Canadiens are 14-13-0 against the over/under this season

Key Calgary Flames Injuries

12/01/17 RW Kris Versteeg Lower Body IR (11/24)

Key Montreal Canadiens Injuries

12/05/17 LW Jonathan Drouin Lower Body is "?" Thursday vs Calgary
11/15/17 LW Artturi Lehkonen Lower Body IR (11/13)
11/12/17 GO Al Montoya Concussion IR (11/09)
10/30/17 LW Nikita Scherbak Knee IR (10/26)
10/22/17 RW Ales Hemsky Upper Body IR (10/20)

Player Spotlight

Mike Smith has 12 wins and 9 losses this season in net for the Flames. He has 761 shots against him and he's given up 64 goals. He's made 697 saves for a save percentage of 92%. Johnny Gaudreau has accumulated 36 total points this season for the Flames. He has 12 goals this year with 81 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 15%. He has a total of 24 assists on the season and averages 18.8 minutes played per game. Sean Monahan averages 18.4 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 20% by scoring 15 goals on 75 shots. He has 12 assists, giving him a total of 27 points on the season.

Player Spotlight

Max Pacioretty has scored 16 total points this year for the Canadiens. He has 8 goals this season with 121 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 7%. He has a total of 8 assists on the season and averages 19.4 minutes played per game. Carey Price has 8 wins and 8 losses this year in goal for the Canadiens. He has 503 shots against him and he's surrendered 49 goals. He's made 454 saves for a save percentage of 90%. Brendan Gallagher averages 15.3 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 14% by scoring 13 goals on 90 shots. He has 6 assists, giving him a total of 19 points on the season.

Useful Team Statistics

The Flames have allowed 89 power play opportunities and have given up 22 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 75% this year. That is 28th in the NHL. They average 33 shots per game and as a team shoot 9.11% for the season. They allow 32 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 90%, which is ranked 22nd in the league. The Flames has 29 total points this season, ranking 17th in the NHL in offense. They are 17th in the league with 80 goals while they've given up 88 goals, which is 9th overall. They have had 93 power play opportunities and scored 19 goals on those chances for a percentage of 20%. That is 14th in the NHL.

Useful Team Statistics

As a team, the Canadiens are 16th with 81 goals scored while they are 8th in the NHL with 90 goals allowed this year. They average 34 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 8.12%. They give up 31 shots per game and have a save percentage of 90%, putting them in 21st place in the league. The Canadiens have a total of 29 points this year, which is 20th in the NHL. They have 17 power play goals on 96 opportunities for a percentage of 18%. That ranks their power play unit 20th. They've allowed 95 power play opportunities and have given up 21 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 78%, which is 23rd overall.

Advanced Statistics

Calgary is 4th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 51.8%, as they've attempted 1,687 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,568 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 50.5% as they have 1,240 attempts while they have given up 1,214 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 11th in the league. The Flames start possessions in the offensive zone 52% of the time, which is 11th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 48% for the season. That is 18th overall in the NHL. They have 819 face-off wins compared to 833 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 49.6%. That ranks them 16th in the league. On defense Calgary has 437 hits and they have blocked 354 shots from the opposition, putting them 29th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Canadiens are 9th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 52.7% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 47.3% for the season, which is 23rd in the NHL. They have 910 face-off wins compared to 924 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 49.6%. That is 18th in the league. On defense Montreal has 718 hits and they have blocked 464 shots from the opposition, which is 1st in the league. Montreal is 7th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 51.8% as they've attempted 1,812 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,689 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 52.3% ranks 8th as they have 1,341 attempts while they have given up 1,225 shots on the defensive end.

Who will win tonight's Flames/Canadiens NHL game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take Montreal -245

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