Montreal Canadiens at Edmonton Oilers NHL Picks & Predictions 12/23/2017

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Rogers Place

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Montreal Canadiens travel to Rogers Place to play the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, December 23, 2017.

Montreal has a record of 15-15-4 this season and on the road they have a record of 6-8-1-1. They are 4th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 94 goals and given up 108 goals for a point differential of -14. For the season they have an ATS record of 15-19-0 and an over/under record of 16-16-0. Edmonton has a record of 16-17-2 including 7-10-0-0 at home this season. They are 7th in the Pacific Division. They've scored 104 goals and surrendered 112 for a goal differential of -8. Their record against the spread is 15-19-0 while their over/under record is 17-16-0.

Valuable Montreal Canadiens Betting Trends

The Montreal Canadiens are 15-19-0 straight up this year

The Montreal Canadiens are 16-16-0 against the over/under this season

Important Edmonton Oilers Betting Trends

The Edmonton Oilers are 15-19-0 straight up this year

The Edmonton Oilers are 17-16-0 against the over/under this season

Key Montreal Canadiens Injuries

12/18/17 D Shea Weber Foot is out indefinitely
11/15/17 LW Artturi Lehkonen Lower Body IR (11/13)
11/12/17 GO Al Montoya Concussion IR (11/09)
10/22/17 RW Ales Hemsky Upper Body IR (10/20)

Key Edmonton Oilers Injuries

12/19/17 D Oscar Klefbom Undisclosed IR (12/19)

Player Spotlight

Carey Price has 10 wins and 10 losses this season in net for the Canadiens. He has 662 shots against him and he's given up 64 goals. He's made 598 saves for a save percentage of 90%. Brendan Gallagher has accumulated 19 total points this season for the Canadiens. He has 13 goals this year with 105 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 12%. He has a total of 6 assists on the season and averages 15.4 minutes played per game. Max Pacioretty averages 19.3 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 6% by scoring 8 goals on 137 shots. He has 12 assists, giving him a total of 20 points on the season.

Player Spotlight

Connor McDavid has scored 40 total points this year for the Oilers. He has 12 goals this season with 96 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 13%. He has a total of 28 assists on the season and averages 21.4 minutes played per game. Laurent Brossoit has 3 wins and 7 losses this year in goal for the Oilers. He has 334 shots against him and he's surrendered 38 goals. He's made 296 saves for a save percentage of 89%. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins averages 17.7 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 17% by scoring 14 goals on 81 shots. He has 11 assists, giving him a total of 25 points on the season.

Useful Team Statistics

The Canadiens have allowed 112 power play opportunities and have given up 25 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 78% this year. That is 25th in the NHL. They average 34 shots per game and as a team shoot 8.15% for the season. They allow 32 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 90%, which is ranked 21st in the league. The Canadiens has 34 total points this season, ranking 24th in the NHL in offense. They are 24th in the league with 94 goals while they've given up 108 goals, which is 11th overall. They have had 107 power play opportunities and scored 20 goals on those chances for a percentage of 19%. That is 18th in the NHL.

Useful Team Statistics

As a team, the Oilers are 16th with 101 goals scored while they are 8th in the NHL with 110 goals allowed this year. They average 35 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 8.59%. They give up 30 shots per game and have a save percentage of 89%, putting them in 30th place in the league. The Oilers have a total of 32 points this year, which is 27th in the NHL. They have 16 power play goals on 95 opportunities for a percentage of 17%. That ranks their power play unit 23rd. They've allowed 111 power play opportunities and have given up 30 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 73%, which is 30th overall.

Advanced Statistics

Montreal is 12th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 51%, as they've attempted 2,125 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,038 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 51.2% as they have 1,554 attempts while they have given up 1,481 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 13th in the league. The Canadiens start possessions in the offensive zone 52.5% of the time, which is 10th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 47.5% for the season. That is 21st overall in the NHL. They have 1,047 face-off wins compared to 1,102 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.7%. That ranks them 23rd in the league. On defense Montreal has 851 hits and they have blocked 557 shots from the opposition, putting them 1st overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Oilers are 3rd in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 55.5% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 44.5% for the season, which is 29th in the NHL. They have 1,082 face-off wins compared to 1,089 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 49.8%. That is 15th in the league. On defense Edmonton has 947 hits and they have blocked 525 shots from the opposition, which is 10th in the league. Edmonton is 2nd in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 53.6% as they've attempted 2,258 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,951 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 54.1% ranks 1st as they have 1,678 attempts while they have given up 1,426 shots on the defensive end.

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

Josh's Pick: Take Edmonton

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Josh Schonwald