Minnesota Wild vs Montreal Canadiens Expert NHL Picks Against the Spread 10/17/2019

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Bell Centre

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

Tomas Tatar and the Montreal Canadiens (2-1-2, 7th in the Atlantic Division) host the Minnesota Wild (1-4-0, 7th in the Central Division) at Bell Centre on Thursday, October 17, 2019. The Canadiens open this contest at -150 while the Wild are priced at +136. The total is set at 6. The Wild cover 16.7% of the time, having gone 1-5 SU. The Canadiens cover 20.0% of the time, going 1-4 straight up.

The Minnesota Wild came out of this game feeling pretty good about themselves with a 2 - 0 victory over the Ottawa Senators the last time they stepped on the ice. The Wild offense left a lot to be desired in this win. In this matchup, they finished 2 out of the 35 shots they attempted. Moreover, they had 6 power play chances but weren't able to net one. Minnesota earned 12 penalty mins in their game. The Corsi for the Wild sat at 37 and the Corsi against was 32 which tells us they had a Corsi percentage of 53.6%. Their Fenwick was 25 while the Fenwick against was 22, giving them a Fenwick percentage of 53.2%. They earned 21 face-off wins and lost 22 tries to control the puck. The offensive zone starts for them were rated at 52.0% and they had a PDO of 110.0 in this game. With regard to the opposition's stats, the Ottawa Senators earned 26 shots. They had a total of 14 penalty mins and they earned a total of 5 power play opportunities.

Useful Team Statistics

The Wild have 2 total points this season, which ranks them 31st in the NHL. They are 25th in the league in goals scored with 12 while they've given up 21 goals, ranking them 10th overall. They have had 17 power play opportunities and have scored 3 goals on those chances for a percentage of 18%. That is 20th in the NHL. The Wild have allowed 19 power play opportunities and have given up 3 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 84%, putting them 10th in the league when short-handed. They average 33 shots per game and as a team shoot 7.36% for the season. They allow 31 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 87%. That puts them 28th in the league in stopping the puck.

The Montreal Canadiens faced the St. Louis Blues in a game where the Canadiens notched a win by a final score of 6 - 3. While out there on the ice, Montreal earned a 59.5% Corsi rating. That percentage was had by having a Corsi of 47 while their opponent earned a Corsi of 32. Their Fenwick rate was 57.4% by way of having a Fenwick of 35 and the Blues earning a 26 Fenwick. These Corsi stats tell us the story of the kind of game Montreal had and we'd say they played well overall. They had a PDO of 112.0 and their percentage of oZS was 58.1%. The Canadiens notched 6 goals out of the 38 shots on goal they were seeking. They had 4 power play attempts in this one but weren't able to put one in the back of the net. Concerning the opposition, the Blues had 2 power play opportunities and were able to tally 1 goal on that try. Montreal gave up 29 shots on goal and the Blues earned a total of 8 minutes in the box.

Useful Team Statistics

The Canadiens are 15th in the NHL with a total of 6 points this year. They have 4 power play goals on 16 opportunities for a percentage of 25%. That ranks them 12th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 17 power play opportunities and have given up 6 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 65%. That is 28th in the NHL. As a team, the Canadiens are 12th in the league with 20 goals scored while they've given up 20 goals, which is 11th overall. They average 36 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 11.24%. As a team they give up 36 shots per game and have a save percentage of 89%. That is 20th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Minnesota is 16th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 50.6%, as they've attempted 198 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 193 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 48.8% as they have 139 attempts while they have given up 146 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 22nd in the league. The Wild start possessions in the offensive zone 55.9% of the time, which is 3rd in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 44.1% for the season. That is 29th overall in the NHL. They have 110 face-off wins compared to 111 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 49.8%. That ranks them 17th in the league. On defense Minnesota has 96 hits and they have blocked 47 shots from the opposition, putting them 25th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Canadiens are 17th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 50.2% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 49.8% for the season, which is 14th in the NHL. They have 108 face-off wins compared to 123 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 46.8%. That is 25th in the league. On defense Montreal has 101 hits and they have blocked 52 shots from the opposition, which is 20th in the league. Montreal is 14th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 51.1% as they've attempted 225 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 215 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 50% ranks 16th as they have 163 attempts while they have given up 163 shots on the defensive end.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Montreal

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