Boston Bruins at Montreal Canadiens NHL Picks & Predictions 1/20/2018

Saturday, January 20, 2018

Bell Centre

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Boston Bruins travel to Bell Centre to play the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, January 20, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Bruins at -145 and the Canadiens at +131.

Boston has a record of 26-10-8 this season and on the road they have a record of 11-5-4-2. They are 2nd in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 146 goals and given up 111 goals for a point differential of +35. For the season they have an ATS record of 26-18-0 and an over/under record of 21-22-0. Montreal is 18-21-6 including 11-8-5-1 at home this season. They are 6th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 116 goals and surrendered 142 for a goal differential of -26. Their record against the spread is 18-27-0 while their over/under record is 19-24-0.

Valuable Boston Bruins Betting Trends

The Boston Bruins are 26-18-0 straight up this year

The Boston Bruins are 21-22-0 against the over/under this season

Important Montreal Canadiens Betting Trends

The Montreal Canadiens are 18-27-0 straight up this year

The Montreal Canadiens are 19-24-0 against the over/under this season

Key Boston Bruins Injuries

01/18/18 D Kevan Miller Flu is "?" Saturday vs Montreal

Key Montreal Canadiens Injuries

12/18/17 D Shea Weber Foot IR (12/17)
10/22/17 RW Ales Hemsky Concussion IR (10/20)
01/18/18 LW Phillip Danault Concussion is downgraded to doubtful Friday vs Washington
01/15/18 RW Andrew Shaw Lower Body IR (01/14)

Player Spotlight

Brad Marchand has accumulated 46 total points this season for the Bruins. He has 20 goals this year with 97 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 21%. He has a total of 26 assists on the season and averages 19.8 minutes played per game. David Pastrnak averages 18.1 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 15% by scoring 18 goals on 117 shots. He has 23 assists, giving him a total of 41 points on the season. Tuukka Rask has 16 wins and 8 losses this season in net for the Bruins. He has 789 shots against him and he's given up 63 goals. He's made 726 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Player Spotlight

Max Pacioretty has scored 25 total points this year for the Canadiens. He has 12 goals this season with 173 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 7%. He has a total of 13 assists on the season and averages 19.2 minutes played per game. Brendan Gallagher averages 15.3 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 11% by scoring 16 goals on 145 shots. He has 7 assists, giving him a total of 23 points on the season. Carey Price has 13 wins and 15 losses this year in goal for the Canadiens. He has 988 shots against him and he's surrendered 91 goals. He's made 897 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Bruins have 60 total points this season, which ranks them 3rd in the NHL. They are 7th in the league in goals scored with 146 while they've given up 111 goals, ranking them 30th overall. They have had 139 power play opportunities and have scored 30 goals on those chances for a percentage of 22%. That is 6th in the NHL. The Bruins have allowed 132 power play opportunities and have given up 22 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 83%, putting them 6th in the league when short-handed. They average 32 shots per game and as a team shoot 10.44% for the season. They allow 29 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 92%. That puts them 7th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Canadiens are 27th in the NHL with a total of 42 points this year. They have 26 power play goals on 135 opportunities for a percentage of 19%. That ranks them 14th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 145 power play opportunities and have given up 32 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 78%. That is 26th in the NHL. As a team, the Canadiens are 29th in the league with 116 goals scored while they've given up 142 goals, which is 8th overall. They average 34 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 7.56%. As a team they give up 32 shots per game and have a save percentage of 90%. That is 23rd in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Boston is 4th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 51.7%, as they've attempted 2,589 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,414 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 51.9% as they have 1,944 attempts while they have given up 1,800 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 7th in the league. The Bruins start possessions in the offensive zone 54.5% of the time, which is 3rd in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 45.5% for the season. That is 26th overall in the NHL. They have 1,437 face-off wins compared to 1,345 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 51.7%. That ranks them 4th in the league. On defense Boston has 1,061 hits and they have blocked 614 shots from the opposition, putting them 27th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Canadiens are 10th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 52.4% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 47.6% for the season, which is 23rd in the NHL. They have 1,394 face-off wins compared to 1,449 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 49%. That is 23rd in the league. On defense Montreal has 1,123 hits and they have blocked 734 shots from the opposition, which is 2nd in the league. Montreal is 12th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 50.8% as they've attempted 2,804 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,715 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 50.9% ranks 13th as they have 2,051 attempts while they have given up 1,981 shots on the defensive end.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Montreal +131

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