Pittsburgh Penguins vs Montreal Canadiens Prediction, 12/12/2024 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Pittsburgh Penguins vs Montreal Canadiens

Date: Thursday, December 12, 2024

Location: Bell Centre in Montreal, QC

TV: TSN

Odds/Point Spread: Penguins (-210) Canadiens (+172)

The Montreal Canadiens (11-14-3) will compete against the Pittsburgh Penguins (12-14-4) at Bell Centre on Thursday. The moneyline on this game has Pittsburgh at -210 while Montreal is opening at +172. The over/under is set at 6.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will look to clean up some issues after taking a 6-2 loss to the Avalanche in their last outing. The Penguins didn't have a great showing offensively in this defeat. For the game, they tallied a score on 2 of the 27 shots they put on goal. Moreover, they had 4 attempts on the power play but weren't able to make the most of them. Pittsburgh accounted for 8 minutes in the box in this matchup.

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Pittsburgh Penguins opponents have totaled 87 power play opportunities (15th in professional hockey) and have scored 17 goals in those chances. The Penguins have had 970 shots attempted against them and hold a save percentage of .882. Pittsburgh has tried 887 shots and has a shot percentage of 9.6%. While playing at even strength, the Penguins have surrendered 97 goals while scoring 66 on offense. Pittsburgh has tallied 88 power play opportunities and they have scored 19 goals out of those chances, giving them a percentage of 21.59%. For the current campaign, they have recorded 28 points and their points percentage is .467. When discussing scoring goals, the Pittsburgh Penguins have racked up 85 goals (17th in the National Hockey League) this year and have given up 114.

The player guarding the cage in this matchup is Tristan Jarry. Jarry has participated in 268 games during his NHL career. He has accumulated a mark of 141-89-26 and he was named the starter in 257 games. Opponents have tallied 689 goals against Jarry in his NHL career and his average for goals against per game is 2.85. Jarry has seen 7,682 shot attempts taken against him and has amassed 6,993 total saves. His save percentage currently sits at .910 in his 14,486 mins between the pipes. Throughout his time in hockey, Jarry has 153 quality starts and his percentage for quality starts is .595.

The last time they were on the ice, Montreal went up against the Ducks in a game where the Canadiens got the tie by a score of 2-2. The Canadiens converted 2 goals out of the 21 shots on goal they took. They had 2 power play attempts in this one and earned 1 out of those chances.

The Canadiens have accumulated 58 goals at even strength and 19 goals (12th in pro hockey) while on the power play. Montreal has put up 677 shots (32nd in the league) and has a shot percentage of 11.37%, while allowing their opponents 837 shots. So far this season, the Montreal Canadiens have earned a total of 77 goals, 25 points, and a points percentage of .446. They have allowed 99 goals to be scored by way of 82 goals at even strength and 17 goals while they were shorthanded. They have earned 86 chances on the power play and they have accumulated a power play rate of 22.09%. They have accumulated a penalty kill percentage of 82.47% on their opponents 97 chances on the power play, and their save percentage sits at 88.2%.

On the other side of the ice you are likely to see Sam Montembeault in net. Montembeault has accumulated a career record of 58-71-23 and has participated in 166 contests. Montembeault's quality start percentage is 53.7% and he has 80 quality starting assignments in his career. He has accrued 4,496 stops out of the 5,002 shots attempted, giving him a percentage of .899. Teams are averaging 3.77 goals/game and he has relinquished 506 goals in total. He has started in 149 games and has played for a total of 8,046 minutes.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Montreal (+172)

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