Golden Knights vs Canadiens Predictions, Picks, Tips 1/18/2020

Game: Vegas Golden Knights vs Montreal Canadiens

Date: Saturday, January 18, 2020

Location: Bell Centre in Montreal, QC

TV: ATRM/CBC

Odds/Point Spread: Golden Knights (-123) Canadiens (+111)

Total/Over-Under: 5.5

Marc-Andre Fleury and the Vegas Golden Knights (24-19-6, 4th in the Pacific Division) go to Bell Centre on Saturday where they'll take on the Montreal Canadiens (20-21-7, 6th in the Atlantic Division). The Canadiens open this contest at +111 while the Golden Knights are priced at -123. The O/U is set at 5.5. The Golden Knights cover 46.8% of the time, having gone 22-25 SU. The Canadiens cover 40.4% of the time, going 19-28 straight up.

The Vegas Golden Knights come into this matchup holding a record of 24 wins and 19 losses, which puts them at 4th in the Pacific Division. So far this season, they have converted a total of 148 goals which is good for 5th in the Western Conference and 13th in the NHL. Their goal differential is -1, which puts them at 19th in the NHL. The Golden Knights currently have a total of 54 points, which is good for 17th in the NHL and 8th in the Western Conference. Regarding shots at the opposition, they currently have a total of 1,667 which is good for 1st in the conference and 2nd in the NHL. As a unit, Vegas has collected a total of 1,285 hits which means they have an average of 26.2 per contest. They currently have a total of 539 blocks for this year. The man protecting the goal for Vegas is Marc-Andre Fleury from Sorel, Quebec. He is 35 years old and has played a total of 1,937 mins protecting the net for the year. Fleury is allowing an average of 2.85 GAA which places him at 15th among West goaltenders and 29th in the NHL among goalies. Over the course of this season, he's given up 92 goals. He holds a save percentage of .906 which places him at 20th among West goaltenders.

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The Vegas Golden Knights will need a bounce back game after taking a 4 - 2 defeat to the Buffalo Sabres the last time they stepped on the ice. The Golden Knights left a lot to be desired in terms of their offense in the defeat. In this matchup, they finished 2 out of the 26 shots they attempted. Moreover, they had 3 power play attempts and notched 1 goal out of those opportunities. Vegas had a total of 8 penalty minutes in this outing. The Corsi for the Golden Knights sat at 49 and the Corsi against was 34 meaning they had a Corsi percentage of 59.0%. Their Fenwick was 33 while the Fenwick against sat at 29, which tells us they had a Fenwick percentage of 53.2%. They took 17 face-off wins and were beaten on 24 attempts to control the puck. Their offensive zone starts came in at 58.8% and they had a PDO of 95.8 for this one. In discussing stats from the opponent, the Buffalo Sabres tallied 26 shots. They ended the game with 8 penalty minutes and they earned 3 power play opportunities.

The Canadiens will be looking to get a victory in this matchup and for the campaign they sit with 20 victories and 21 losses. With reference to goal differential, they are currently ranked 12th in the conference and 21st in the NHL with -7. They have earned a total of 144 goals for the season which is good for 10th in the East. Montreal has a team save percentage of .900 which has them ranked 18th in the NHL, which tells us there should be some chances to score. They are shooting 8.6% putting them at 13th in the East. In goal for Montreal is Carey Price who is having an average year by allowing 2.87 goals against average and that has him 16th among East goaltenders and 32nd in the NHL among goaltenders. In the 2,238 minutes he's played, he's allowed 107 goals. He has a save percentage of .907, which has him ranking 16th among East goaltenders and 35th in the NHL among goaltenders.

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The Montreal Canadiens went up against the Chicago Blackhawks in a game where the Canadiens were on the wrong end of the score by a score of 4 - 1. In this game, Montreal had a 60.8% Corsi rating. That percentage was had by earning a Corsi of 59 and their opponent having a Corsi of 38. They earned a Fenwick percentage of 57.7% by notching a Fenwick of 41 and the Blackhawks earning a 30 Fenwick at even strength. These Corsi stats speak to the kind of game that Montreal played and the stats tell us that they didn't play well overall. They had a PDO at even strength of 91.8 and they finished the game with an oZS percentage of 50.0%. The Canadiens scored 1 goal out of the 33 shots on goal they took. They had 3 power play chances in this one but weren't able to put one in the back of the net. As for their opponent, the Blackhawks had 3 power play chances and were able to tally 1 goal. Montreal gave up 28 shots on goal and the Blackhawks had a total of 6 penalty mins.

Who will win tonight's NHL game ATS?

Josh's Pick: Take Montreal (+111)

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