John Carlson, Alex Ovechkin, and the Washington Capitals will face off against Tomas Tatar, Phillip Danault, and the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre in an Eastern Conference tilt. The opening face-off takes place at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, January 27, and it’s being shown live on NBC Sports Washington.
Washington Capitals at Montreal Canadiens Odds
Washington is 33-16 straight up (SU) and has earned 8.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 49 regular season outings, 31 of its games have gone over the total, while 18 have gone under and none have pushed. This 2019-20 Capitals team is 18-7 SU on the road.
Washington has converted on 20.3 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, it has the fourth-best penalty kill in the league, and it has successfully killed off 84.2 percent of all penalties..
Averaging 25.7 saves per game with a .897 save percentage, Braden Holtby (19-14-4) has been the top option in goal for Washington this season. If Washington decides to rest him, however, they might turn to Ilya Samsonov (15-4-1), who has a .927 save percentage and 2.06 goals against average this year.
Montreal is 22-28 straight up (SU) and has lost 12.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. 25 of its outings have gone under the total, while 23 have gone over and just two have pushed. It’s 10-16 SU as the home team this year.
The Canadiens have converted on just 20.6 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 20th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 78.9 percent of all penalties.
Carey Price has denied 27.7 shots per game as the primary option in the crease for the Canadiens. Price has 20 wins, 20 losses, and four overtime losses and has recorded a fairly-weak .908 save percentage and 2.84 goals against average this year.
Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Capitals, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
The Canadiens are 3-1 in games that go to shootout. The Capitals are 3-2 in shootouts.
Over Washington’s last ten games, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 4-2 in those games).
This game features two of the more physical teams in the league. Washington skaters have dished out the eighth-most hits in the league (23.6 per game) while the Habs have tallied the sixth-most (27.3).
