Montreal Canadiens at Arizona Coyotes NHL Picks & Predictions 12/20/2018

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Gila River Arena

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Montreal Canadiens travel to Gila River Arena to play the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday, December 20, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Canadiens at +100 and the Coyotes at -125.

Montreal has a record of 17-12-5 this season. They are 5th in the Atlantic Division. They have scored 108 goals and given up 111 goals for a point differential of -3. For the season they have an ATS record of 17-17-0 and an over/under record of 18-15-0. Arizona has a record of 14-17-2 this year. They are 7th in the Pacific Division. They've scored 82 goals and surrendered 92 for a goal differential of -10. Their record against the spread is 14-18-0 while their over/under record is 15-16-0.

Valuable Montreal Canadiens Betting Trends

The Montreal Canadiens are 17-17-0 straight up this year

The Montreal Canadiens are 18-15-0 against the over/under this season

Important Arizona Coyotes Betting Trends

The Arizona Coyotes are 14-18-0 straight up this year

The Arizona Coyotes are 15-16-0 against the over/under this season

Key Montreal Canadiens Injuries

12/17/18 D Jordie Benn Undisclosed is questionable Wednesday vs Colorado
11/12/18 RW Joel Armia Knee is out indefinitely

Key Arizona Coyotes Injuries

12/08/18 C Vinnie Hinostroza Lower Body is out indefinitely
12/06/18 GO Antti Raanta Lower Body IR (12/06)
12/03/18 RW Michael Grabner Eye is out indefinitely
11/17/18 D Jason Demers Lower Body is out for season
10/04/18 C Dave Bolland Back is out indefinitely
10/03/18 C Christian Dvorak Lower Body IR (10/03)

Player Spotlight

Carey Price has 13 wins and 9 losses this season in net for the Canadiens. He has 779 shots against him and he's given up 77 goals. He's made 702 saves for a save percentage of 90%. Tomas Tatar has accumulated 24 total points this season for the Canadiens. He has 12 goals this year with 82 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 15%. He has a total of 12 assists on the season and averages 16.3 minutes played per game. Max Domi averages 17.8 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 18% by scoring 14 goals on 79 shots. He has 19 assists, giving him a total of 33 points on the season.

Player Spotlight

Clayton Keller has scored 23 total points this year for the Coyotes. He has 8 goals this season with 73 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 11%. He has a total of 15 assists on the season and averages 18.8 minutes played per game. Adin Hill has 5 wins and 3 losses this year in goal for the Coyotes. He has 204 shots against him and he's surrendered 15 goals. He's made 189 saves for a save percentage of 93%. Oliver Ekman-Larsson averages 23.6 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 4% by scoring 3 goals on 74 shots. He has 14 assists, giving him a total of 17 points on the season.

Useful Team Statistics

The Canadiens have allowed 110 power play opportunities and have given up 26 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 76% this year. That is 25th in the NHL. They average 34 shots per game and as a team shoot 9.29% for the season. They allow 31 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 89%, which is ranked 26th in the league. The Canadiens have 39 total points this season, ranking 13th in the NHL in offense. They are 11th in the league with 108 goals while they've given up 111 goals, which is 8th overall. They have had 117 power play opportunities and scored 14 goals on those chances for a percentage of 12%. That is 31st in the NHL.

Useful Team Statistics

As a team, the Coyotes are 30th with 82 goals scored while they are 29th in the NHL with 92 goals allowed this year. They average 30 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 8.15%. They give up 30 shots per game and have a save percentage of 91%, putting them in 10th place in the league. The Coyotes have a total of 30 points this year, which is 28th in the NHL. They have 17 power play goals on 105 opportunities for a percentage of 16%. That ranks their power play unit 23rd. They've allowed 100 power play opportunities and have given up 11 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 89%, which is 1st overall.

Advanced Statistics

Montreal is 5th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 53.5%, as they've attempted 2,185 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,901 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 52.6% as they have 1,566 attempts while they have given up 1,409 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 7th in the league. The Canadiens start possessions in the offensive zone 55.2% of the time, which is 4th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 44.8% for the season. That is 28th overall in the NHL. They have 981 face-off wins compared to 1,099 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 47.2%. That ranks them 30th in the league. On defense Montreal has 949 hits and they have blocked 492 shots from the opposition, putting them 10th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Coyotes are 13th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 51.3% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 48.7% for the season, which is 19th in the NHL. They have 965 face-off wins compared to 1,007 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.9%. That is 21st in the league. On defense Arizona has 717 hits and they have blocked 479 shots from the opposition, which is 15th in the league. Arizona is 13th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 50.6% as they've attempted 1,944 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,900 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 50.1% ranks 17th as they have 1,428 attempts while they have given up 1,421 shots on the defensive end.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Arizona -125

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