The Boston Bruins (54-11-5), one of the NHL’s weakest power play offenses, welcome the Montreal Canadiens (28-37-6) and their suffocating penalty killing defense at TD Garden on Thursday. Montreal is coming off a 3-2 win over the Lightning on Tuesday.
The Canadiens conceded a power play goal while failing to take advantage of their own power play opportunities. Kirby Dach, Mike Matheson, and Jonathan Drouin each scored once for the Canadiens. Nick Suzuki had two assists to lead the team in scoring.
Sam Montembeault had a great performance with 31 saves (.939%) in the win.Boston won their fourth in a row, beating the Senators 2-1 on Tuesday. David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk both scored once for the Bruins. Hampus Lindholm had two assists to lead the team in scoring. Linus Ullmark saved 40 of 41 shots in the win (.975%).
HEAD TO HEAD
The Bruins won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 4-2 victory in January, their eighth straight win against Montreal. David Pastrnak led Boston with four points (1G 3A). Dach led Montreal with two goals. Jeremy Swayman got the win, saving 20 of 22 shots (.909%).
FACING OFF
Montreal is averaging 2.77 goals per game for the season, 27th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Bruins team that is allowing just 2.11 goals a game (1st).
Meanwhile, Boston has found the net 3.76 times a game on average, second in the league, and the Canadiens are allowing opponents to score 3.69 goals per game (27th).
Montreal averages fewer shots a game (27.3) than most teams in the league, ranking 30th, though the team’s 10.4% shooting percentage is 13th. Boston has proven to be the league’s best shot-stopping team, ranking No. 1 with a team save percentage of .931%.
The Canadiens’ 28th-ranked power play offense (16.50%) will be put to the test against the Bruins, who are the league’s best penalty killing team (85.96%). Boston, meanwhile, has scored on 22.46% of their power play opportunities (11th), which the hosts will be seeking to add to against Montreal’s 30th-ranked 72.29% penalty killing rate.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 55 points this season, Suzuki is the top skater for the Canadiens. He has 21 goals and 34 assists in 71 games. In the net, Montembeault (14-14-3) is Montreal’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 3.32 GAA and a .905% save percentage.
Jake Allen (14-23-3) leads the Canadiens in games played in goal. He has a GAA of 3.56 and a save percentage of .892%.Pastrnak leads the Bruins in scoring with 93 points (5th in the league).
He has 48 goals (2nd in the league) and 45 assists in 70 games. Ullmark (35-5-1) has the best goals against average for Boston at 1.95, best in the league. He has a save percentage of .937%, also best.
HOME AND AWAY
Montreal is 13-20-3 away from home this season. Boston is 28-3-3 at TD Garden this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Over 6.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
