The 38-14-15 Boston Bruins visit the 25-30-10 Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. The game airs on ESPN+, TSN2, RDS and NESN.
The Boston Bruins lost 5-1 to St. Louis Blues at home in their last outing on Monday, while Montreal won 3-0 at home over the Columbus Blue Jackets a day later.
Boston Bruins vs Montreal Canadiens: Game Preview
The Bruins have an average of 3.32 goals per game and allow 2.67. Their power play efficiency stands at 24.0%.
David Pastrnak is their top scorer with 41 goals and 53 assists, totaling 94 points. Brad Marchand has contributed 27 goals and 31 assists, while Charlie Coyle has 21 goals and 31 assists, Charlie McAvoy has 33 assists, while Pavel Zacha has registered with 17 goals and 27 assists.
In goal, Jeremy Swayman holds a record of 21-7-8, with a 2.49 goals against average and impressive .920 save percentage.
Meanwhile, the Canadiens are averaging 2.76 goals per game and conceding 3.49, while their power play success rate is 18.6%.
Nick Suzuki leads Montreal with 25 goals and 36 assists, while Cole Caufield follows closely with 19 goals and 33 assists. Juraj Slafkovsky and Mike Matheson has added 58 combined assists. Sam Montembeault holds a 13-12-5 record in goals, with a 3.14 GAA and a .904 SV%.
Boston Bruins vs Montreal Canadiens: Head-to-head and significant numbers
- The two teams have clashed 937 times
- The Bruins are 364-464-103-6 against the Canadiens.
- In faceoffs, the Bruins have a 49.1% win rate, while the Canadiens have a 52.0%.
- On penalty kills, the Bruins has a 81.7% success rate, while the Canadiens are at 75.6%.
Boston Bruins vs Montreal Canadiens: Odds and Predictions
The Bruins with odds lower than -232 have won 32 out 57 games as a odds favorite, which means they have a 69.9% chance of winning this one.
Meanwhile, the Canadiens have been the underdogs 59 times, managing 20 upsets. However, Montreal holds 2-17 record with odds +187 or longer, giving it a 34.8% chance of winning this game.
Prediction: Bruins 5-3 Canadiens
Boston Bruins vs Montreal Canadiens: Betting tips
Tip 1: Bruins to win
Tip 2: Total goals over 6: Yes
Tip 3: David Pastrnak to score anytime: Yes
Tip 4: Nick Suzuki to score first: Yes
Tip 5: Montreal Canadiens to beat the spread: No