Montreal Canadiens at New York Rangers NHL Picks & Predictions 10/8/2017

Sunday, October 8, 2017

Madison Square Garden

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Montreal Canadiens travel to Madison Square Garden to play the New York Rangers on Sunday, October 8, 2017. The opening line for this game has the Canadiens at -108 and the Rangers at -120.

Montreal had a record of 47-26-9 last season and on the road they had a record of 23-14-4. They finished 1st in the Atlantic Division. They scored 226 goals and gave up 200 goals for a point differential of +26. For the season they had an ATS record of 49-39-0 and an over/under record of 31-42-0. New York finished with a record of 48-28-6 including 21-16-4 at home last season. They were 4th in the Metropolitan Division. They scored 256 goals and surrendered 220 for a goal differential of +36. Their record against the spread was 54-40-0 while their over/under record was 44-34-0.

Valuable Montreal Canadiens Betting Trends

The Montreal Canadiens were 49-39-0 straight up last year

The Montreal Canadiens were 31-42-0 against the over/under last season

Important New York Rangers Betting Trends

The New York Rangers were 54-40-0 straight up last year

The New York Rangers were 44-34-0 against the over/under last season

Key Montreal Canadiens Injuries

10/05/17 D David Schlemko Hand IR. (10/03)

Key New York Rangers Injuries

10/05/17 RW Jesper Fast Hip out indefinitely

Player Spotlight

Max Pacioretty accumulated 67 total points last season for the Canadiens. He had 35 goals last year with 268 shots on goal giving him a shooting percentage of 13%. He had a total of 32 assists on the season and averaged 19.2 minutes played per game. Jonathan Drouin averaged 17.7 minutes of ice time per game last year. In that time he had a shooting percentage of 12% by scoring 21 goals on 177 shots. He had 32 assists giving him a total of 53 points on the season. Carey Price had 37 wins and 20 losses last season in net for the Canadiens. He had 1,794 shots against him and he gave up 138 goals. He made 1,656 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Player Spotlight

Mats Zuccarello scored 59 total points last year for the Rangers. He had 15 goals last season with 188 shots on goal giving him a shooting percentage of 8%. He had a total of 44 assists on the season and averaged 18.8 minutes played per game. Kevin Shattenkirk averaged 19.9 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he had a shooting percentage of 8% by scoring 12 goals on 156 shots. He had 43 assists giving him a total of 55 points on the season. Henrik Lundqvist had 31 wins and 20 losses last year in goal for the Rangers. He had 1,650 shots against him and he surrendered 148 goals. He made 1,502 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Canadiens had 103 total points last season, which ranked them 8th in the NHL. They were 16th in the league in goals scored with 226 while they gave up 200 goals, ranking them 28th overall. They had 230 power play opportunities and scored 45 goals on those chances for a percentage of 20%. That was 13th in the NHL. The Canadiens allowed 249 power play opportunities and gave up 47 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 81%, putting them 14th in the league when short-handed. They averaged 30 shots per game and as a team shot 9.19% for the season. They allowed 30 shots to their opposition per contest and had a team save percentage of 92%. That put them 6th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Rangers were 9th in the NHL with a total of 102 points last year. They had 47 power play goals on 232 opportunities for a percentage of 20%. That ranked them 10th in the league as a power play unit. They allowed 224 power play opportunities and gave up 45 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 80%. That was 19th in the NHL. As a team, the Rangers were 4th in the league with 256 goals scored while they gave up 220 goals, which was 18th overall. They averaged 30 shots per contest and had a team shooting percentage of 10.50%. As a team they gave up 30 shots per game and had a save percentage of 91%. That was 11th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Montreal was 6th in the NHL in Corsi percentage last year with 51.3%, as they attempted 4,721 shots on net at full strength while they gave up 4,484 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage was 51.3% as they had 3,448 attempts while they gave up 3,271 shots on the defensive end. That ranked them 10th in the league. The Canadiens started possessions in the offensive zone 48.7% of the time, which was 26th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage was at 51.3% for the season. That was 9th overall in the NHL. They had 2,516 face-off wins compared to 2,483 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage was 50.3%. That ranked them 14th in the league. On defense Montreal had 1,864 hits and they blocked 1,213 shots from the opposition, putting them 11th overall.

Advanced Statistics

New York was 23rd in the NHL in Corsi percentage last year with 49.1%, as they attempted 4,512 shots on net at full strength while they gave up 4,684 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage was 50% as they had 3,438 attempts while they gave up 3,440 shots on the defensive end. That ranked them 18th in the league. The Rangers started possessions in the offensive zone 50.4% of the time, which was 18th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage was at 49.6% for the season. That was 13th overall in the NHL. They had 2,353 face-off wins compared to 2,511 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage was 48.4%. That ranked them 26th in the league. On defense New York had 1,715 hits and they blocked 1,244 shots from the opposition, putting them 8th overall.

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

Tony's Pick: Take New York -120

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