The Montreal Canadiens (10-9-1) travel to face the Chicago Blackhawks (6-10-3), who will be looking to snap their losing run, at United Center on Friday. Montreal is coming off a 3-1 win over the Blue Jackets on Wednesday.
The Canadiens committed four penalties in the game, though they held Columbus without a power play goal. Arber Xhekaj, Sean Monahan, and David Savard each scored once for the Canadiens. Sam Montembeault had a great performance with 30 saves (.967%) in the win.
Chicago is playing the first of four games at home after a 6-4 loss against the Stars on Wednesday, their fifth defeat in a row. Four players found the net for the Blackhawks. Max Domi scored and provided an assist to lead the team in scoring. Petr Mrazek only had 33 saves on 38 shots against (.868%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Blackhawks won both games between the teams last season, including a 3-2 (OT) victory in their final meeting in January, their fourth straight win against Montreal. Erik Gustafsson led Chicago with two points (0G 2A). Mike Hoffman and Jeff Petry were on the scoresheet for Montreal.
FACING OFF
Montreal is averaging 3.00 goals per game for the season, 18th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Blackhawks team that is allowing 3.53 goals a game (26th). Meanwhile, Chicago has found the net 2.53 times a game on average, 31st in the league, and the Canadiens are allowing opponents to score 3.55 goals per game (27th).
Chicago averages fewer shots a game (26.1) than any other team in the league. With an average of 30.8 attempts, Montreal ranks 17th. The Canadiens’ 15.00% power play percentage is the fifth-lowest in the league, while the Blackhawks rank 18th with a conversion rate of 20.34%. In terms of penalty killing, Montreal has the league’s 14th-ranked PK% at 80.00%, while Chicago is 24th at 74.63%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield have been the top skaters for the Canadiens this season with 23 and 21 points. Caufield is among the league leaders with his 12 goals (6th), while Suzuki is among the league leaders with his 11 goals (8th). In the net, Montembeault (3-2-1) is Montreal’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 2.83 GAA and a .915% save percentage.
Jake 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%. Patrick Kane and Domi lead the Blackhawks in scoring with 15 and 14 points, respectively. Kane has three goals and 12 assists, while Domi has five goals and nine assists in 19 games. Arvid Soderblom (2-4-1) has the best goals against average for Chicago at 3.19. He has a save percentage of .909%.
HOME AND AWAY
Montreal is 4-4-1 away from home this season. Chicago is pursuing a fourth straight home win this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Chicago Blackhawks (-120)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
