It is Game 2 of the NHL semifinals as the Vegas Golden Knights will look to take a 2-0 lead over the Montréal Canadiens. Vegas defeated Montréal on Monday, 4-1.
Here you can find the best picks, news, and stats for the NHL playoff semifinal battle at T-Mobile Arena. Vegas is the favorite at -263. This according to PointsBet Sportsbook, which puts Montréal at +215 as the underdog.
Jon Merrill. Jake Evans, Tomas Tater, and Jeff Petry are listed as questionable for the Canadiens. Jonathan Drouin is out. Vegas will be without Peyton Krebs. Tomas Nosek is listed as questionable for the Golden Knights.
Canadiens Struggle in Series Opening Loss
The Montréal Canadiens fired 29 shots on the net, but could only get one in goal, as the team fell to Vegas, 4-1. Cole Caufield scored the lone goal for Montréal, netting his first goal of the playoffs while on the power-play. Carey Price stopped 26 of 30 shots.
Montréal is averaging 2.42 goals per game and is connecting on 8.1% of their shots. The power-play has been solid at 20.0%. The Canadiens are led in scoring by Tyler Toffoli with seven assists and 11 points. He is tied with Nick Suzuki and Joel Armia with four goals.
The Canadians are allowing 2.33 goals per game and are first when short-handed during the playoffs at 91.4%. Price has been solid, going 8-4 with a 2.15 GAA and a .929 save percentage.
Fleury Stellar in Win over Canadiens
Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 28 of 29 shots to lead Vegas. Four different Golden Knights players scored goals in the game, including three from their defensemen. Shea Theodore finished with a goal and an assist.
Vegas is averaging 3.14 goals per game and are connecting on 9.8% of their shots, both fourth during the playoffs. They are connecting on 12.5% of their power-play opportunities. William Karlsson is the team leader with eight assists and 12 total points. Jonathan Marchessault leads the team with six goals and is tied for third with eight points.
The Golden Knights are allowing 2.29 goals per game and are at 71.0% killing off penalties. Fleury has been spectacular, going 9-4 with a 1.84 GAA a .927 save percentage.
Trends:
Montréal:
- 3-9 in their last 12 games on a Wednesday.
- 2-6 in their last eight games one scoring two or fewer goals in the previous contest.
Vegas:
- 4-0 in their last four playoff games as the favorite.
- 42-14 in their last 56 games at home.
Montréal Canadiens vs. Vegas Golden Knights Pick
The reality is that Montréal is going to have a lot of trouble scoring goals in this series. Fleury is on fire right now, and that is not the kind of situation the Canadiens need if they are intending to advance. Adding to their woes is the fact that Vegas got three goals from defensemen in the last contest. If they are getting that kind of depth where they can depend on scoring from just about anyone in their lineup, this is going to be a four-game sweep.
Montréal Canadiens vs. Vegas Golden Knights Total:
I would really like to push on this, as I would not be surprised if five goals are scored in this game as well. What you can absolutely be sure of is that Montréal is coming away with no more than one goal in this contest. In fact, I expect them to score no more than two goals in any contest in this series, which means that it is completely up to Price to steal some victories. Can Vegas score 4 or more goals again? I’ll say no.