Vancouver Canucks at Montreal Canadiens NHL Picks & Predictions 1/7/2018

Sunday, January 7, 2018

Bell Centre

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Vancouver Canucks travel to Bell Centre to play the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday, January 7, 2018. The opening line for this game has the Canucks at +160 and the Canadiens at -177.

Vancouver has a record of 16-19-5 this season and on the road they have a record of 9-7-2-1. They are 7th in the Pacific Division. They've scored 106 goals and given up 132 goals for a point differential of -26. For the season they have an ATS record of 16-24-0 and an over/under record of 23-17-0. Montreal has a record of 17-20-4 including 10-8-3-0 at home this season. They are 6th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 103 goals and surrendered 127 for a goal differential of -24. Their record against the spread is 17-24-0 while their over/under record is 16-23-0.

Valuable Vancouver Canucks Betting Trends

The Vancouver Canucks are 16-24-0 straight up this year

The Vancouver Canucks are 23-17-0 against the over/under this season

Important Montreal Canadiens Betting Trends

The Montreal Canadiens are 17-24-0 straight up this year

The Montreal Canadiens are 16-23-0 against the over/under this season

Key Vancouver Canucks Injuries

12/07/17 C Bo Horvat Ankle IR (12/05)
11/27/17 C Brandon Sutter Upper Body IR (11/25)
01/05/18 LW Sven Baertschi Jaw IR (12/17)

Key Montreal Canadiens Injuries

12/18/17 D Shea Weber Foot IR (12/17)
10/22/17 RW Ales Hemsky Concussion IR (10/20)

Player Spotlight

Jacob Markstrom has 10 wins and 13 losses this season in net for the Canucks. He has 827 shots against him and he's given up 78 goals. He's made 749 saves for a save percentage of 91%. Thomas Vanek has accumulated 28 total points this season for the Canucks. He has 12 goals this year with 80 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 15%. He has a total of 16 assists on the season and averages 14 minutes played per game. Brock Boeser averages 16.7 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 20% by scoring 21 goals on 103 shots. He has 17 assists, giving him a total of 38 points on the season.

Player Spotlight

Brendan Gallagher has scored 21 total points this year for the Canadiens. He has 15 goals this season with 126 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 12%. He has a total of 6 assists on the season and averages 15.2 minutes played per game. Carey Price has 12 wins and 14 losses this year in goal for the Canadiens. He has 865 shots against him and he's surrendered 78 goals. He's made 787 saves for a save percentage of 91%. Max Pacioretty averages 19.2 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 6% by scoring 9 goals on 159 shots. He has 13 assists, giving him a total of 22 points on the season.

Useful Team Statistics

The Canucks have allowed 141 power play opportunities and have given up 32 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 77% this year. That is 27th in the NHL. They average 30 shots per game and as a team shoot 8.98% for the season. They allow 32 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 90%, which is ranked 27th in the league. The Canucks has 37 total points this season, ranking 28th in the NHL in offense. They are 27th in the league with 106 goals while they've given up 132 goals, which is 7th overall. They have had 136 power play opportunities and scored 28 goals on those chances for a percentage of 21%. That is 9th in the NHL.

Useful Team Statistics

As a team, the Canadiens are 29th with 103 goals scored while they are 9th in the NHL with 127 goals allowed this year. They average 34 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 7.45%. They give up 32 shots per game and have a save percentage of 91%, putting them in 23rd place in the league. The Canadiens have a total of 38 points this year, which is 27th in the NHL. They have 23 power play goals on 122 opportunities for a percentage of 19%. That ranks their power play unit 18th. They've allowed 136 power play opportunities and have given up 30 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 78%, which is 26th overall.

Advanced Statistics

Vancouver is 27th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 48.3%, as they've attempted 2,116 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,264 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 47.6% as they have 1,588 attempts while they have given up 1,749 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 28th in the league. The Canucks start possessions in the offensive zone 50.8% of the time, which is 17th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 49.2% for the season. That is 19th overall in the NHL. They have 1,181 face-off wins compared to 1,264 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.3%. That ranks them 28th in the league. On defense Vancouver has 732 hits and they have blocked 515 shots from the opposition, putting them 31st overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Canadiens are 11th 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 1,261 face-off wins compared to 1,304 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 49.2%. That is 24th in the league. On defense Montreal has 1,003 hits and they have blocked 668 shots from the opposition, which is 1st in the league. Montreal is 11th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 50.5% as they've attempted 2,540 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 2,491 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 50.4% ranks 15th as they have 1,852 attempts while they have given up 1,823 shots on the defensive end.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Montreal -177

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