Montreal Canadiens vs Carolina Hurricanes Prediction, 12/28/2023 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Montreal Canadiens vs Carolina Hurricanes

Date: Thursday, December 28, 2023

Location: PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC

TV: Bally Sports South

Odds/Point Spread: Canadiens (+250) Hurricanes (-325)

The Carolina Hurricanes (17-13-4) will compete against the Montreal Canadiens (15-13-5) at PNC Arena on Thursday. The odds on this game have Montreal at +250 and Carolina opens at -325. The over/under has been set at 7.

The Montreal Canadiens were on the winning side of the scoreboard with a 5-2 win over the Blackhawks in their previous outing. Montreal garnered 7 penalty minutes in this matchup. The Canadiens had a good offensive outing in the victory. Moreover, they had 3 opportunities with more players on the ice but weren't able to score. In the game, they tallied a score on 5 of the 28 shots they attempted.

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Montreal Canadiens opponents have recorded 115 power play opportunities (6th in the league) and have a total of 31 goals in those attempts. The Canadiens have had 1,109 shots attempted against them and have a save percentage of .902. Montreal has tried 965 shots and has a shooting percentage of 9.5%. While at even strength, the Canadiens have surrendered 78 goals while notching 71 when they are on offense. Montreal has accumulated 119 power play chances and they have added 21 goals out of those tries, giving them a rate of 17.65%. For the season, they sit with 35 points and their points percentage sits at .530. In terms of their goal scoring prowess, the Montreal Canadiens have racked up 92 goals (27th in the league) over the course of the season and have surrendered 109.

The player between the pipes for this game is Sam Montembeault. Montembeault has been in net for 118 games over the course of his hockey career. He has a win-loss mark of 40-49-15 and got the start in 102 games. Opponents have scored 367 goals versus Montembeault in his pro hockey career and his goals against rate is 3.40. Montembeault has seen 3,570 shots taken against him and has accrued 3,203 total saves. His save percentage is at .897 for his 6,471 mins guarding the cage. Over the course of his career, Montembeault has tallied 50 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is at .490.

In their last contest, Carolina faced the Islanders in an outing where the Hurricanes ended up taking the loss by a score of 5-4. They had 4 power play chances in this game and recorded 2 out of those attempts. The Hurricanes tallied 4 goals out of the 40 shots on goal they took.

On the season, the Carolina Hurricanes have 110 goals, 38 points, in addition to a points percentage of .559. They have allowed 108 goals to be scored by way of 89 goals at even strength and 19 goals while they were shorthanded. The Hurricanes have scored 82 goals at even strength and 28 goals (8th in hockey) while having a power play advantage. They have earned 115 power play opportunities and they have earned a power play percentage of 24.35%. Carolina has taken 1,154 shots (1st in hockey) and has a shot percentage of 9.53%, while allowing the other team 871 shots. They have a penalty kill percentage of 82.73% on their opponents 110 power play chances, and their save percentage sits at 87.6%.

Across the ice you will find Pyotr Kochetkov protecting the goal. He has a tally of 997 saves out of the 1,104 shots taken against him, which gives him a percentage of .903. Kochetkov is sitting with a career mark of 22-14-8 and has been in net for 45 games. He has made the start in 41 games and has been on the ice for 2,535 mins. Kochetkov's rate of quality starts is 58.5% and he has accumulated 24 quality starts in his career. Opponents are averaging 2.53 goals/game and he has given up 107 goals overall.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Montreal (+250)

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