Montreal Canadiens vs Toronto Maple Leafs Prediction, 5/20/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Montreal Canadiens vs Toronto Maple Leafs

Date: Thursday, May 20, 2021

Location: Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON

TV: NHL Network

Odds/Point Spread: Canadiens (+180) Maple Leafs (-220)

Scotiabank Arena is the site where Jack Campbell and the Toronto Maple Leafs (35-14-7) will take on the Montreal Canadiens (24-21-11) on Thursday in Game 1 of their series. The odds on this contest have the Canadiens priced at +180 and the Maple Leafs are at -220. The O/U opens at 5.5.

The Canadiens will need a bounce back game after taking a 4-3 loss against the Oilers in their last game. The Canadiens had a middle of the road showing in the loss. For the outing, they earned a goal on 3 of the 29 shots they looked to score on. Furthermore, they had 1 attempt on the power play but didn't get a goal. Montreal accrued 2 penalty mins in this matchup. The Corsi for the Canadiens was 50 and the Corsi against when this game finished was 34 meaning they had a Corsi rate of 59.5%. Their Fenwick came in at 38 and the Fenwick against finished at 28, meaning they had a Fenwick percentage of 57.6%. They totaled 23 face-off wins at even strength and were beaten on 14 opportunities to control the puck. Their starts in the offensive zone were rated at 61.9% and they had a PDO of 96.6 for this matchup.

In terms of their scoring, the Montreal Canadiens have tallied 158 goals (17th in the NHL) so far this year and have surrendered 165. For the season, they have recorded 59 points and their points percentage is sitting at .527. Montreal steps onto the ice with 151 power play opportunities and they have added 29 goals during those chances, garnering them a percentage of 19.21%. While at even strength, the Canadiens have surrendered 128 goals while notching 129 themselves. Montreal has attempted 1,746 shots and holds a shot percentage of 9.1%. The Canadiens have had 1,579 shots tried against them and have a save percentage of .896. Montreal Canadiens opponents have totaled 172 power play opportunities (7th in pro hockey) and have scored 37 goals in those attempts.

The player protecting the goal in this game is Carey Price. In his professional hockey career, Price has accounted for 399 quality starts and his quality starts rate sits at .574. He has a save percentage of .917 in his 41,707 mins on the ice. Price has had 20,911 shots taken against him and he has 19,174 total saves. Opponents have racked up 1,737 goals versus Price in his professional career and his goals against average per game is 2.50. He has amassed a mark of 360-257-79 and he has started in 695 games. Price has been involved in 707 games throughout his NHL career.

In their last outing, Toronto played the Jets in a game where the Maple Leafs ended up losing by a final of 4-2. They had 2 opportunities on the power play in this game but weren't able to score a goal. The Maple Leafs recorded 2 goals of the 36 shots on goal they were seeking. They had a PDO at even strength of 88 and they'll go home having earned an oZS percentage of 44.0%. Toronto had a 59.1% Corsi rating. These Corsi statistics are telling of the type of game that Toronto played and the stats tell us that they didn't play well overall. They earned a Fenwick percentage of 56.8% by amassing a Fenwick of 42 and the Jets ending the game with a 32 Fenwick at even strength.

On the season, the Toronto Maple Leafs have tallied 186 goals, 77 points, in addition to a points percentage of .688. They have permitted 148 goals to be scored by of a combination of 117 goals at even strength and 31 goals while they were shorthanded. The Maple Leafs have 155 goals at even strength and 31 goals (19th in hockey) while on the power play. They have a tally of 155 power play chances and they have a power play rate of 20.00%. Toronto has taken 1,751 shots (6th in hockey) and has earned a shot percentage of 10.62%, while allowing their opponents 1,558 shots. They have earned a penalty kill rate of 78.47% on their opponents 144 power play opportunities, and their save percentage currently sits at 90.5%.

On the other side of the ice you are expected to see Jack Campbell protecting the goal. He has accounted for 2,191 stops out of 2,388 shots tried, giving him a save percentage of .918. Campbell is the owner of a career mark of 40-30-8 and has been in goal for 86 contests. He has started in 78 contests and has played 4,791 minutes. Campbell's quality start rate sits at 53.8% and he has made 42 quality starts in his NHL career. Opponents are averaging 2.47 goals/game and he has given up 197 goals in total.

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

Josh's Pick: Take Montreal (+180)

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