The Montreal Canadiens (11-10-1) travel to face the Calgary Flames (10-9-3) at Scotiabank Saddledome on Thursday. Montreal is kicking off a five-game road trip coming off a 4-0 loss against the Sharks on Tuesday. The Canadiens committed five penalties in the game, though they held San Jose without a power play goal. Jake Allen saved only 20 of 23 shots against (.869%) in the loss.
Calgary beat the Panthers 6-2 on Tuesday. Six players found the net for the Flames. Dillon Dube scored and provided two assists to lead the team in scoring. Dan Vladar saved 31 of 33 shots in the win (.939%).
HEAD TO HEAD
The Canadiens won both games between the teams last season, including a 5-4 (OT) victory in their final meeting in March, their third straight win against Calgary. Mike Hoffman led Montreal with four points (1G 3A). Andrew Mangiapane led Calgary with three points (1G 2A). Andrew Hammond got the win despite allowing four goals on 34 shots (.882%).
FACING OFF
Montreal is averaging 2.82 goals per game for the season, 24th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Flames team that is allowing 3.14 goals a game (18th). Meanwhile, Calgary has found the net 3.00 times a game on average, 19th in the league, and the Canadiens are allowing opponents to score 3.50 goals per game (25th).
Calgary averages more shots (34.2) than most teams in the league, ranking fourth, though the team’s 8.9% shooting percentage is 26th. With an average of 30.3 attempts, Montreal ranks 21st. The Canadiens’ 14.71% power play percentage is the second-lowest in the league, while the Flames rank 21st with a conversion rate of 20.00%. In terms of penalty killing, Montreal has the league’s 10th-ranked PK% at 81.08%, while Calgary is 15th at 80.00%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 24 points this season, Nick Suzuki is the top skater for the Canadiens. He has 12 goals and 12 assists in 22 games. In the net, Sam Montembeault (5-2-1) is Montreal’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 2.47 GAA and a .924% save percentage, fifth-best in the league.
Allen (6-7-0) leads the Canadiens in games played in goal. He has a GAA of 3.62 and a save percentage of .891%. Tyler Toffoli, Elias Lindholm, and Rasmus Andersson lead the Flames in scoring with 16 points apiece.
Toffoli has eight goals and eight assists in 22 games, while Lindholm has six goals and 10 assists. Andersson has three goals and 13 assists. Jacob Markstrom (8-5-2) is the top goalie for Calgary with a goals against average of 3.03. He has a save percentage of .889%.
HOME AND AWAY
Montreal is 5-4-1 on the road this season. Calgary is 7-4-1 at home this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Calgary Flames -1.5 (-115)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
