Montreal Canadiens at Florida Panthers NHL Picks & Predictions 12/30/2017

Saturday, December 30, 2017

BB&T Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Montreal Canadiens head to BB&T Center to take on the Florida Panthers on Saturday, December 30, 2017. The opening line for this contest has the Canadiens at +118 and the Panthers at -130.

Montreal has a record of 16-18-4 this year and away from home they have a record of 7-11-1-1. They are 5th in the Atlantic Division. They have tallied 100 goals and surrendered 120 goals for a point differential of -20. For the year they have an ATS mark of 16-21-0 and an over/under record of 16-19-0. Florida has a record of 16-16-5 including 9-6-3-2 on home ice this year. They are 4th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 106 goals and have given up 121 for a goal differential of -15. Their record against the spread is 15-21-0 while their over/under mark is 18-18-0.

Valuable Montreal Canadiens Betting Trends

The Montreal Canadiens are 16-21-0 straight up this year

The Montreal Canadiens are 16-19-0 against the over/under this season

Important Florida Panthers Betting Trends

The Florida Panthers are 15-21-0 straight up this year

The Florida Panthers are 18-18-0 against the over/under this season

Key Montreal Canadiens Injuries

12/29/17 D David Schlemko Flu is "?" Saturday vs Florida
12/18/17 D Shea Weber Foot IR (12/17)
11/12/17 GO Al Montoya Concussion IR (11/09)
10/22/17 RW Ales Hemsky Concussion IR (10/20)

Key Florida Panthers Injuries

12/29/17 D Ian McCoshen Upper Body is "?" Saturday vs Montreal
12/13/17 GO Roberto Luongo Lower Body IR (12/04)

Player Spotlight

Brendan Gallagher has scored 20 total points this year for the Canadiens. He has 14 goals this season with 118 shots on net, giving him a shooting percentage of 12%. He has a total of 6 assists on the year and averages 15.3 minutes played per contest. Max Pacioretty averages 19.3 minutes of ice time per game this season. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 6% by tallying 8 goals on 142 attempts. He has 12 assists, giving him a total of 20 points on the year. Carey Price has 11 wins and 11 losses this season in goal for the Canadiens. He has 720 shots against him and he's surrendered 68 goals. He's made 652 stops for a save percentage of 91%.

Player Spotlight

Vincent Trocheck has 35 total points this season for the Panthers. He has 14 goals this year with 117 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 12%. He has a total of 21 assists on the year and averages 21.5 minutes played per contest. Jonathan Huberdeau averages 20.1 minutes of ice time per contest. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 13% by scoring 12 goals on 96 attempts. He has 23 assists, giving him a total of 35 points on the year. James Reimer has 9 wins and 9 losses this season in net for the Panthers. He has 715 shots against him and he's given up 66 goals. He's made 649 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Canadiens have 36 total points this year, which is 25th in the NHL. They've scored 99 goals while giving up 117 scores, which has them ranked 24th and 9th respectively. They have had 112 power play chances and scored 21 goals on those opportunities for a percentage of 19%. That is 19th in the league. The Canadiens have given up 121 power play opportunities and surrendered 28 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 77%, ranking them 28th when short-handed. They average 34 shots per contest and as a team shoot 7.96% for the year. They allow 32 shot attempts to their opposition per game and have a team save percentage of 90%, which is 21st in the league.

Useful Team Statistics

The Panthers are 26th in the league with a total of 35 points this season. They have 19 power play goals on 113 chances for a percentage of 17%. That is 22nd in the NHL. They've given up 118 power play opportunities and surrendered 23 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 81%, ranking 19th overall. As a team, the Panthers are 20th with a total of 103 goals scored while they've given up 119 goals this season, ranking 6th in goals against. They average 34 shots per game and have a team shooting percentage of 8.32%. As a unit they give up 35 shots per contest and have a save percentage of 91%, putting them 17th overall in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Montreal is 12th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 50.5%, as they've attempted 2,286 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,238 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 50.7% as they have 1,675 attempts while they have given up 1,629 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 13th in the league. The Canadiens start possessions in the offensive zone 51.9% of the time, which is 11th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 48.1% for the season. That is 21st overall in the NHL. They have 1,142 face-off wins compared to 1,191 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.9%. That ranks them 23rd in the league. On defense Montreal has 915 hits and they have blocked 609 shots from the opposition, putting them 1st overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Panthers are 29th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 46.3% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 53.7% for the season, which is 2nd in the NHL. They have 1,185 face-off wins compared to 1,140 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 51%. That is 11th in the league. On defense Florida has 722 hits and they have blocked 512 shots from the opposition, which is 23rd in the league. Florida is 18th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 48.9% as they've attempted 2,113 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,206 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 49.5% ranks 15th as they have 1,659 attempts while they have given up 1,694 shots on the defensive end.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Montreal +118

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 Guy Bruhn