Montreal Canadiens at Florida Panthers NHL Picks & Predictions 12/28/2018

Friday, December 28, 2018

BB&T Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Montreal Canadiens travel to BB&T Center to play the Florida Panthers on Friday, December 28, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Canadiens at +108 and the Panthers at -141.

Montreal has a record of 19-13-5 this season. They are 5th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 115 goals and given up 117 goals for a point differential of -2. For the season they have an ATS record of 19-18-0 and an over/under record of 19-17-0. Florida is 15-14-6 this season. They are 6th in the Atlantic Division. They have scored 115 goals and surrendered 125 for a goal differential of -10. Their record against the spread is 15-20-0 while their over/under record is 19-13-0.

Valuable Montreal Canadiens Betting Trends

The Montreal Canadiens are 19-18-0 straight up this year

The Montreal Canadiens are 19-17-0 against the over/under this season

Important Florida Panthers Betting Trends

The Florida Panthers are 15-20-0 straight up this year

The Florida Panthers are 19-13-0 against the over/under this season

Key Montreal Canadiens Injuries

12/26/18 D David Schlemko Upper Body IR (12/26)
11/12/18 RW Joel Armia Knee is out indefinitely

Key Florida Panthers Injuries

12/23/18 C Nick Bjugstad Upper Body is questionable Friday vs Montreal
12/13/18 C Vincent Trocheck Ankle is out indefinitely
10/23/18 C Derek MacKenzie Shoulder is out indefinitely

Player Spotlight

Max Domi has accumulated 35 total points this season for the Canadiens. He has 14 goals this year with 87 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 16%. He has a total of 21 assists on the season and averages 17.8 minutes played per game. Tomas Tatar averages 16.3 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 14% by scoring 12 goals on 88 shots. He has 14 assists, giving him a total of 26 points on the season. Carey Price has 15 wins and 10 losses this season in net for the Canadiens. He has 868 shots against him and he's given up 83 goals. He's made 785 saves for a save percentage of 90%.

Player Spotlight

Aleksander Barkov has scored 36 total points this year for the Panthers. He has 15 goals this season with 96 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 16%. He has a total of 21 assists on the season and averages 23 minutes played per game. Evgeni Dadonov averages 18.8 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 16% by scoring 17 goals on 107 shots. He has 17 assists, giving him a total of 34 points on the season. Roberto Luongo has 8 wins and 6 losses this year in goal for the Panthers. He has 482 shots against him and he's surrendered 46 goals. He's made 436 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Canadiens have 43 total points this season, which ranks them 13th in the NHL. They are 14th in the league in goals scored with 115 while they've given up 117 goals, ranking them 8th overall. They have had 126 power play opportunities and have scored 16 goals on those chances for a percentage of 13%. That is 31st in the NHL. The Canadiens have allowed 120 power play opportunities and have given up 27 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 78%, putting them 24th in the league when short-handed. They average 34 shots per game and as a team shoot 9.03% for the season. They allow 31 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 90%. That puts them 23rd in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Panthers are 21st in the NHL with a total of 36 points this year. They have 37 power play goals on 131 opportunities for a percentage of 28%. That ranks them 3rd in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 108 power play opportunities and have given up 24 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 78%. That is 23rd in the NHL. As a team, the Panthers are 13th in the league with 115 goals scored while they've given up 125 goals, which is 4th overall. They average 35 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 9.52%. As a team they give up 31 shots per game and have a save percentage of 89%. That is 29th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Montreal is 5th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 53.9%, as they've attempted 2,409 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,064 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 52.9% as they have 1,725 attempts while they have given up 1,535 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 6th in the league. The Canadiens start possessions in the offensive zone 54.9% of the time, which is 5th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 45.1% for the season. That is 27th overall in the NHL. They have 1,068 face-off wins compared to 1,197 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 47.2%. That ranks them 31st in the league. On defense Montreal has 1,027 hits and they have blocked 529 shots from the opposition, putting them 12th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Panthers are 12th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 51.1% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 48.9% for the season, which is 20th in the NHL. They have 1,113 face-off wins compared to 1,121 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 49.8%. That is 19th in the league. On defense Florida has 747 hits and they have blocked 490 shots from the opposition, which is 25th in the league. Florida is 8th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 51.7% as they've attempted 2,104 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,968 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 52.3% ranks 8th as they have 1,619 attempts while they have given up 1,478 shots on the defensive end.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Florida -141

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