Prediction, Lines, Odds and Picks |
The Detroit Red Wings square-off against the Montreal Canadiens this Wednesday night at the Centre Bell in the final game on the regular season schedule before this week’s All-Star break. The puck is set to drop at 7:30 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network.
Detroit brings the longest winning streak in the league at seven games into this matchup after posting a huge 3-1 victory over St. Louis on Monday night as a 140 home favorite. It is now 33-15-1 on the year and its 67 total points in the most in the NHL. Despite the overall success, the Red Wings are just 13-13 on the road.
The Red Wings also bring one of the best goals-per-game averages in the league at 3.12 while boasting a solid 2.24 goal-against-average on defense. During their recent streak, they have scored three or more goals in all seven games, while holding their opponents to an average of just 1.57 goals-per-game.
Montreal finds itself in 11th-place in the Eastern Conference with 45 points and an overall record of 18-21-9. Home ice has not really been an advantage this season with an 8-9-7 record at the Centre Bell. It is 2-5 in its last seven games overall, but coming off a 3-1 victory over Toronto this past Saturday as a 142 road underdog.
Scoring continues to be an issue for the Canadiens as they are ranked 19th in the league with a goals-per-game average of 2.54. Defensively they are somewhat better with a 2.60 goals-against-average. They continue to be one of the top teams in the league against the power play with a penalty kill rate of 89.2 percent.
The Red Wings are 17-5 in their last 22 games against the Eastern Conference and 19-7 in their last 26 games against the Northeast Division. The total has stayed ‘under’ in 13 of their last 16 games overall.
The Canadiens are 0-4 in their last four games against the Western Conference and 2-8 in their last 10 games against the Central Division. The total has stayed ‘under’ in six of their last eight games overall.
Head-to-head in this series, Detroit is 4-1 in its last five trips to Montreal and the total has stayed ‘under’ in three of those games. Stick with the hot hand and the recent series trends in this one as the Red Wings extend their winning streak to eight.
The Pick: Detroit 3 Montreal 1
