Max Domi, Jonathan Drouin, and the Montreal Canadiens will face off against Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz, and the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena in a cross-continent tilt. The action will get going at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 20, and it’s being shown live on Fox Sports Arizona.
Montreal Canadiens at Arizona Coyotes Odds
This matchup’s moneyline and Over/Under odds have not been posted by oddsmakers yet.
Montreal is 17-18 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 1.1 units this year. Through 35 regular season outings, 18 of its games have gone over the total, while 15 have gone under and just one has pushed. As the road team in 2018-19, the Habs are 7-9 SU.
Montreal has converted on just 12.5 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that’s ranked 30th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 22nd in the league, and it’s successfully killed off 77.2 percent of all penalties..
Sporting a .902 save percentage and 25.9 saves per game, Carey Price (13-15-4) has been the primary option in goal for Montreal this year. Price did just play yesterday, however, so head coach Claude Julien may opt to rest him and instead turn to Antti Niemi (4-4-1 record, .876 save percentage, 4.14 goals against average).
On the other bench, Arizona is 14-19 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.0 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 33 regular season outings, 17 of its games have gone under the total, while 15 have gone over and just one has pushed. It’s 6-10 SU at home this year.
The Coyotes have converted on just 16.0 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s ranked 26th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked first overall, and it’s successfully killed off 89.0 percent of all opponent power plays.
Darcy Kuemper (27.9 saves per game) has been the top selection in the crease for the Coyotes. Kuemper has four wins, 10 losses, and two overtime losses to his credit and has registered a pedestrian 2.87 goals against average and a poor .909 save percentage this season.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Arizona Coyotes Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Coyotes, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- Seven of Arizona’s last ten games have been decided by two or more goals. The team is 2-5 overall in those games.
- The Coyotes are 4-10 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 5-14 when they’re in the box for fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- The total has gone under in three of Arizona’s last five games.
- Montreal has averaged 6.0 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 11.3 giveaways per game (ranked 22nd).
- Arizona skaters have averaged 10.6 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 7.8 giveaways per game (the 7th-fewest in the league).
- Montreal skaters have accounted for the league’s third-most hits per game (27.6), but the team’s recorded just 22.2 hits over their last five away games.
