Two of the league’s most penalized teams are set to meet at Honda Center on Friday, as the Anaheim Ducks (-140) play host to the Montreal Canadiens (+120). The total is 6 (O: -110, U: -110)Montreal (26-31-4) is playing on back-to-back days after suffering a 3-2 loss against the Kings yesterday.
The Canadiens committed four penalties in the game, though they held Los Angeles without a power play goal. Denis Gurianov and Josh Anderson each scored once for the Canadiens. Jake Allen saved only 30 of 33 shots against (.909%) in the loss. Anaheim (20-34-8) fell 3-2 (OT) to the Capitals on Wednesday.
Trevor Zegras and Troy Terry both scored once for the Ducks. Zegras added an assist to lead the team in scoring. John Gibson had 36 saves in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Ducks won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 5-2 victory in December, their third straight win against Montreal. Five players had two points for Anaheim. Cole Caufield led Montreal with two goals. Lukas Dostal got the win, saving 23 of 25 shots (.920%).
FACING OFF
Montreal is averaging 2.69 goals per game for the season, 27th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Ducks team that is allowing 4.06 goals a game (32nd). Meanwhile, Anaheim has found the net 2.50 times a game on average, 31st in the league, and the Canadiens are allowing opponents to score 3.57 goals per game (26th).
Montreal averages fewer shots/game (27.8) than most teams in the league, ranking 30th. Anaheim’s average of 29.0 attempts ranks 27th.Expect multiple power play opportunities during the game, as the Canadiens and Ducks have more penalties per game than most teams in the NHL.
The Canadiens are averaging 4.41 penalties/game, fifth-most in the league, while the Ducks have been penalized 4.66 times a game on average (31st).
The Ducks’ 15.00% power play percentage is the worst in the league, while Montreal’s 16.76% conversion rate ranks fourth-lowest. Anaheim has been equally poor at penalty killing, as the hosts own the league’s third-lowest PK% at 73.27%. Montreal’s 74.76% ranks 27th in the NHL.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 47 points this season, Nick Suzuki is the top skater for the Canadiens. He has 20 goals and 27 assists in 61 games. In the net, Sam Montembeault (12-12-2) is Montreal’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 3.31 GAA and a .905% save percentage. Allen (14-18-2) leads the Canadiens in games played in goal.
He has a GAA of 3.35 and a save percentage of .897%.Zegras leads the Ducks in scoring with 52 points. He has 20 goals and 32 assists in 62 games. Anthony Stolarz (5-6-0) has the best goals against average for Anaheim at 3.73.
He has a save percentage of .897%. Gibson (12-23-7) has played the most games in net for the Ducks this season. He has a 3.94 GAA and a .902% save percentage.
HOME AND AWAY
Montreal is 12-16-3 away from home this season. Anaheim is 10-16-2 at home this season. Meanwhile, the Canadiens are 5-4 without a day off and 3-3 playing with a rest disadvantage. The Ducks are 6-4 with a rest advantage.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Anaheim Ducks (-120)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
