Carolina Hurricanes vs Montreal Canadiens Prediction, 2/25/2025 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Carolina Hurricanes vs Montreal Canadiens

Date: Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Location: Bell Centre in Montreal, QC

TV: TSN

Odds/Point Spread: Hurricanes (-145) Canadiens (+125)

The Montreal Canadiens (26-26-5) will play the Carolina Hurricanes (33-20-4) at Bell Centre on Tuesday. The line on this matchup has Carolina at -145 and Montreal is opening at +125. The over/under is set at 6.5.

The Carolina Hurricanes were on the wrong end of the scoreboard with a 6-3 defeat to the Maple Leafs their last time out. Carolina garnered 6 penalty minutes in this contest. They also had 2 chances with extra men on the ice but weren't able to score a goal. The Hurricanes had a middle of the road showing in the loss. For the game, they earned a goal on 3 out of the 34 shots they put on net.

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When it comes to their scoring, the Carolina Hurricanes have racked up 187 goals (8th in hockey) on the year and have given up 158. For the current campaign, they have 70 points and their points percentage is .614. Carolina has 167 power play chances and they have notched 33 goals during those advantages, garnering them a rate of 19.76%. When at even strength, the Hurricanes have allowed the opponent to score 133 goals while notching 154 of their own. Carolina has tried 1,820 shots and has a shooting percentage of 10.3%. The Hurricanes so far have had 1,438 shots attempted against them and have a save percentage of .890. Carolina Hurricanes opponents have earned 167 power play tries (8th in the NHL) and have tallied 25 goals in those attempts.

The man protecting the goal in this game is Pyotr Kochetkov. Over the course of his pro career, Kochetkov has compiled 56 quality starts and his quality starts rate is .560. His save percentage currently sits at .907 during his 4,010 minutes between the pipes. Kochetkov has seen 2,614 shots against him and has accrued 2,371 saves. Opponents have racked up 243 goals against Kochetkov in his pro career and his goals against rate is 3.64. He has amassed an overall mark of 58-31-12 and got the start in 100 games. Kochetkov has been in net for 104 matchups over the course of his hockey career.

Their last time out, Montreal squared up with the Senators in an outing where the Canadiens took home the victory by a final score of 5-2. They had 2 power play chances in this game and recorded 1 out of those opportunities. The Canadiens scored 5 goals of the 25 shots on goal they pursued.

For the season, the Montreal Canadiens are sitting with 166 goals, 57 points, in addition to a points percentage of .500. They have granted a total of 194 goals to be scored by way of 159 goals at even strength and 35 goals while they were shorthanded. The Canadiens have scored 131 goals at even strength and 35 goals (17th in hockey) while having more men on the ice. They have a total of 166 power play chances and they have a power play percentage of 21.08%. Montreal has taken 1,483 shots (30th in the NHL) and has a shooting percentage of 11.19%, while allowing the other team 1,661 shots. They have accumulated a penalty kill percentage of 81.48% on the other teams 189 opportunities on the power play, and their save percentage currently comes in at 88.3%.

Across the ice you are going to see Sam Montembeault protecting the goal. Opponents are averaging 4.22 goals per contest and he has surrendered 569 goals altogether. Montembeault's percentage of quality starts comes out to 52.1% and he has earned 88 quality starting assignments in his NHL career. He has been a starter 169 contests and has played for a total of 8,096 minutes. Montembeault is sitting with a lifetime mark of 68-81-24 and has been in goal for 187 games. He has compiled 4,995 saves out of the 5,564 shots tried, which gives him a rate of .898.

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

Josh's Pick: Take Carolina (-145)

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