The 46-21-7 Carolina Hurricanes are second in the Eastern Conference and play host to the 28-32-12, 15th-placed Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre, on Saturday, March 30 at 7 p.m. ET. The game will air on ESPN+, CITY, TVAS, and BSSO.
Carolina won 4-0 against the Detroit Red Wings in its last home game on Thursday, March 28, while Montreal won 4-1 at home over the Philadelphia Flyers on the same day.
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Montreal Canadiens: Game preview
The Canadiens are averaging 2.72 goals per game and conceding 3.33, while their power play success rate is 17.8%.
Nick Suzuki leads Montreal with 30 goals and 39 assists, while Cole Caufield follows closely with 20 goals and 35 assists. Mike Matheson has contributed 41 assists, while Sam Montembeault holds a 14-13-7 record in goal, boasting a 3.06 goals-against average and a save percentage of .904.
Meanwhile, the Hurricanes average 3.38 goals per game, conceding 2.62 goals and capitalizing on 26.5% of their power play chances.
Sebastian Aho has been a standout performer with 32 goals and 51 assists, while Seth Jarvis has contributed 28 goals and 32 assists. In goal, Pyotr Kochetkov has a 16-11-3 record, a 2.41 GAA and an SV% of .910.
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Montreal Canadiens: Head-to-head and significant numbers
- These two teams have faced off 213 times, combining regular season and playoffs.
- The Hurricanes have an overall record of 83-103-20-7 against the Canadiens.
- In faceoffs, the Hurricanes have a 52.4% win rate, while the Canadiens have 52.3%.
- On penalty kills, the Hurricanes boast an 85.6% success rate, while the Canadiens are at 76.9%.
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Montreal Canadiens: Odds and prediction
This season, Carolina has won 43 of 67 games as the odds favorite and 8 of its 9 games with odds shorter than -259, giving it a 72.1% chance of winning tonight.
Meanwhile, the Canadiens have been listed as the underdogs in 66 games and have upset their opponents 23 times. With +209 odds or longer, they have a 2-11 record, which means they have a 32.4% chance to win here.
Prediction: Hurricanes 3 - 1 Canadiens.
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Montreal Canadiens: Betting tips
Tip 1: Hurricanes to win.
Tip 2: Total goals over 4.5: Yes.
Tip 3: Cole Caufield to score anytime: Yes.
Tip 4: Sebastian Aho to score first: Yes.
Tip 5: Canadiens to beat the spread: No.