Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens Betting Preview 3/2/19

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Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are set to face off against Max Domi, Jonathan Drouin, and the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre in an Eastern Conference showdown. AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh will showcase the game, and the puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 2.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens Odds

This matchup’s moneyline and Over/Under odds have not been posted by bookmakers yet.

Montreal is 35-30 straight up (SU) and has earned 5.5 units for moneyline bettors this season. That early-season winning percentage is a welcomed improvement over the 29-53 record from the 2017-18 season campaign. Among the team’s 65 games this season, 28 have gone under the total, while 28 have gone over and just three have pushed. This year, the team’s 19-14 SU at home.

The Canadiens have converted on just 12.6 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that places them in the bottom- overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 16th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 80.3 percent of all penalties.

Boasting a .918 save percentage and 27.3 saves per game, Carey Price (27-24-5) has been the top goalkeeper for Montreal this year. Price did just play last night, however, so Montreal might choose to give him the night off and roll with Antti Niemi instead (8-8-8 record, .889 save percentage, 3.75 goals against average).

Pittsburgh has lost 12.9 units for moneyline bettors thus far and is currently 33-31 straight up (SU). A total of 31 of its games have gone over the total, while 27 have gone under the total and just five have pushed. The Penguins are 16-17 SU as the road team this season.

The Penguins have converted on 25.0 percent of their power play chances this year, a figure that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 21st overall and it’s successfully killed off 79.8 percent of all opponent power plays.

Matt Murray (28.9 saves per game) has been the main choice in the net for Pittsburgh. Murray has 19 wins, 14 losses, and three overtime losses to his credit, and has registered a .911 save percentage and 2.96 goals against average this year.

Pittsburgh Penguins at Montreal Canadiens Betting Predictions

Free Pick: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Over

Betting Trends

  • The Canadiens are 2-0 in games decided by a shootout this season while the Penguins are 1-2 in shootouts.
  • The total has gone over in four of Pittsburgh’s last five games.
  • This game features two offenses that take a lot of shots on goal. Pittsburgh has attempted the league’s eighth-most shots on goal (32.8) and Montreal has attempted the fourth-most (33.4).
  • Over Pittsburgh’s last ten games, four of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 3-1 in those games).
  • This game features two of the more physical teams in the league. Pittsburgh skaters have accounted for the league’s second-most hits per game (29.2) and the Habs have registered the fourth-most (26.7).