Montreal Canadiens vs Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction, 11/2/2024 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Montreal Canadiens vs Pittsburgh Penguins

Date: Saturday, November 2, 2024

Location: PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: Sportsnet Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Penguins (3-7-1) will take on the Montreal Canadiens (4-5-1) at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday.

The Montreal Canadiens were on the losing side of the ice with a 8-2 defeat against the Kraken their last time out. The Canadiens could have played much better offensively in the loss. In the matchup, they tallied a score on 2 of the 30 shots they put on goal. They also had 4 power play opportunities but weren't able to score. Montreal accumulated 26 penalty minutes in this contest.

Montreal Canadiens opponents have tallied 37 power play tries (8th in pro hockey) and have tallied 6 goals in those chances. The Canadiens have had 325 shots tried against them and have earned a save percentage of .877. Montreal has tried 259 shots and holds a shot percentage of 11.2%. When playing at even strength, the Canadiens have surrendered 34 goals while getting 21 when they are on offense. Montreal skates onto the rink with 35 power play opportunities and they have scored 8 goals out of those chances, earning them a rate of 22.86%. For the current season, they have tallied 9 points and their points percentage sits at .450. With respect to their goal scoring prowess, the Montreal Canadiens have notched 29 goals (19th in the league) on the campaign and have allowed 40.

The man protecting the net in this game is Sam Montembeault. Over the course of his career, Montembeault has 72 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is .533. He has a save percentage of .898 for his 8,324 mins guarding the cage. Montembeault has had 4,598 shots taken against him and has amassed 4,127 saves. Opponents have scored 471 goals against Montembeault in his pro career and his goals against average is 3.40. He has amassed an overall record of 52-64-21 and got the start in 135 games. Montembeault has been involved in 151 contests throughout his professional hockey career.

In their last game, Pittsburgh faced off against the Wild in an outing where the Penguins ended up taking the loss by a final of 5-3. They had 2 power play chances in this matchup and tallied 1 out of those attempts. The Penguins tallied 3 goals of the 29 shots on goal they tried.

Over the course of the season, the Pittsburgh Penguins have a total of 33 goals, 7 points, in addition to a points percentage of .318. They have permitted 47 goals to be scored by of a combination of 42 goals at even strength and 5 goals while they had less men on the ice. The Penguins have earned 26 goals at even strength and 7 goals (13th in the NHL) while on the power play. They have earned 31 chances on the power play and they have earned a power play percentage of 22.58%. Pittsburgh has taken 341 shots (3rd in the NHL) and has earned a shot percentage of 9.68%, while allowing the opposition 390 shots. They have a penalty kill rate of 84.85% on their opponents 33 tries on the power play, and their save percentage is currently 87.9%.

Across the ice you are going to see Alex Nedeljkovic in net. Nedeljkovic has amassed a lifetime record of 60-47-23 and has been in goal for 144 contests. Nedeljkovic's quality start rate sits at 51.6% and he has accumulated 66 quality starts in his NHL career. He has gathered 3,786 saves out of the 4,184 shots tried, giving him a save % of .905. Opponents are averaging 2.98 goals per game and he has relinquished 398 goals altogether. He has been a starter 128 contests and has been on the ice for 8,005 mins.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Montreal

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