Montreal Canadiens vs Pittsburgh Penguins Predictions, NHL Picks, Betting Tips 8/3/2020

Game: Montreal Canadiens vs Pittsburgh Penguins

Date: Monday, August 3, 2020

Location: Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON

TV: NBCSN

Odds/Point Spread: Canadiens (+140) Penguins (-160)

Total/Over-Under: 5.5

Matt Murray and the Pittsburgh Penguins (40-23-6, 3rd in the Metropolitan Division) host the Montreal Canadiens (31-31-9, 5th in the Atlantic Division) at Scotiabank Arena on Monday, August 3, 2020. Montreal leads the series 1-0. The Canadiens open this game at +140 while the Penguins are priced at -160. The O/U opens at 5.5. The Canadiens are covering 40.3% of the time, having gone 27-40 SU. Pittsburgh is covering 56.1% of the time, going 37-29 straight up.

The Montreal Canadiens head into this game holding a record of 31 victories and 31 defeats, putting them at 5th in the Atlantic Division. So far this season, they have scored a total of 208 goals which ranks 10th in the conference and 18th in the NHL. Their goal differential is -12, putting them at 24th in the NHL. The Canadiens currently have a total of 71 points, which ranks 24th in the NHL and 12th in the Eastern Conference. In connection with shots at the opposing goalie, they currently have a total of 2,422 which ranks 1st in the Eastern Conference and 2nd in the NHL. As a unit, Montreal has racked up a total of 1,762 hits which has them averaging 24.8 per contest. They currently have a total of 797 blocks for the year. The man between the pipes for Montreal is Carey Price from Farmingville, New York. He is 32 years old and has played a total of 3,440 minutes defending the net for the season. Price is giving up 2.79 goals per contest which has him ranking 17th among Eastern Conference goalies and 34th in the NHL among goaltenders. For the season, he's surrendered 160 goals. He has a save % of .909 which has him ranking 18th among Eastern Conference goalies.

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The Montreal Canadiens had a good night with their 3 - 2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in their last game. The Canadiens had an average offensive output in this victory. While out there on the ice, they scored on 3 out of the 35 shots they looked to score on. Additionally, they had 2 power play attempts but weren't able to score. Montreal had 14 penalty mins for this game. The Corsi for the Canadiens sat at 56 and the Corsi against was 67 which tells us they had a Corsi percentage of 45.5%. Their Fenwick sat at 39 while the Fenwick against was 48, which gave them a rate of 44.8%. They took 26 face-off wins at even strength and lost 22 of all total face-offs. Their offensive zone starts were rated at 46.9% and they had a PDO of 106.8 in this one. In discussing stats from the opponent, the Pittsburgh Penguins racked up 41 shots. Their total at the end of the game was 4 minutes in the box and they tallied 7 power play opportunities.

The Penguins will be looking to add points to their total and for the year they sit with 40 victories and 23 losses. In terms of goal differential, they are ranked 4th in the conference and 6th in the league with +25. They currently have a total of 221 goals for the season which ranks 8th in the conference. Pittsburgh has a team save % of .904 which has them 15th in the league, which means scoring chances could present themselves. They are shooting 10.0% putting them at 8th in the Eastern Conference. In net for Pittsburgh is Matt Murray who is having an average season by surrendering 2.87 goals per game and that places him 19th in the Eastern Conference and 38th in the NHL among goalies. In the 2,238 minutes he's played this year, he's given up 107 goals. He's earned a save % of .899, which has him sitting 27th in the Eastern Conference and 55th in the NHL among goalies.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins need to clean up some things after their 3-2 loss. While out there on the ice, Pittsburgh earned a 54.5% Corsi rating. That percentage was had by earning a Corsi of 67 while the opposition earned a Corsi of 56. Their Fenwick percentage was 55.2% by notching a Fenwick of 48 and the Canadiens finishing with a 39 Fenwick at even strength. These Corsi stats speak to the kind of game that Pittsburgh had and the stats tell us that they didn't play well overall. They had a PDO at even strength of 93.2 and they finished the game with an oZS percentage of 53.1%. The Penguins notched 2 goals of the 41 shots on goal they were seeking. They had 7 power play chances in this game and scored 1 out of those attempts. In discussing their opponent, the Canadiens had 2 power play chances but didn't tally a goal. Pittsburgh gave way to 35 shots on goal and the Canadiens racked up a total of 14 penalty mins.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Montreal (+140)

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