In their first head-to-head matchup of the regular season, the Washington Capitals and the Montreal Canadiens meet at Bell Centre for an Eastern Conference tilt. The opening face-off takes place at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 1, and fans at home can see the game live on NBC Sports Washington.
Washington Capitals at Montreal Canadiens Odds
,With a -125 moneyline, Washington enters the contest as the favorite. The line for Montreal sits at +105, and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The odds for betting the total stand at -120 for the under and +100 for the over.
Montreal is 6-5 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 2.9 units this season. That early-season winning percentage is a refreshing turnaround from how the team performed during the 2017-18 season (29-53). Out of the team’s 11 regular season outings, six of them have gone under the total, while four have gone over and just one has pushed. This year, the team’s 4-2 SU at home.
The Canadiens have converted on just 16.3 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that’s ranked 23rd overall in the NHL. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 18th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 77.5 percent of all penalties.
The Canadiens, as a collective unit, have been called for penalties 4.2 times per game this season, a number that’s up a bit from last year’s 3.8 penalties per game they surrendered. After serving an average of 8.6 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team’s had to stave off opponent power plays for 9.6 minutes per outing this year.
Sporting a .915 save percentage and 24.4 saves per game, Carey Price (4-4-2) has been the primary goalkeeper for the Habs this season. If Montreal chooses to rest him, however, it may go with Antti Niemi (2-1-1 record, .898 save percentage, 3.26 goals against average).
Max Domi and Tomas Tatar will both spearhead the attack for the Canadiens. Domi (11 points) has tallied five goals and six assists and has recorded multiple points on three different occasions this year. Tatar has three goals and six assists to his name and has recorded a point in four games.
On the other hand, Washington is 5-5 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.8 units for moneyline bettors thus far. Through 10 regular season matches, seven of its games have gone over the total, while three have gone under the total and none have pushed. As a road team so far, the Capitals are 2-3 SU.
The Capitals come into the matchup with the second-strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as they’ve scored on 37.1 percent of their extra-man advantages this year. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 26th overall and it’s successfully defended 72.5 percent of all penalties.
Washington’s players have been called for penalties 4.5 times per game this season. Last season, that number was at 4.0, which was the seventh-highest mark in the league. After serving an average of 9.5 penalty minutes per game a year ago (seventh-most in the league), the team’s been forced to stave off opponent power plays for 9.6 minutes per outing this season.
Braden Holtby (.888 save percentage and 3.41 goals against average) has been the main option in goal for Washington. Holtby is averaging 24.8 saves per game and owns a 4-4-2 record.
Evgeny Kuznetsov (five goals, 10 assists) has been one of the top offensive facilitators for the visiting Capitals.
Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens Betting Predictions
,Free Prediction: SU Winner – Capitals, O/U – Under
