The Detroit Red Wings open their season against the Montreal Canadiens (1-0-0) on Friday at Little Caesars Arena. Montreal is coming off a 4-3 win over the Maple Leafs on Wednesday. The Canadiens committed four penalties in the game, though they held Toronto without a power play goal. Cole Caufield was the top goalscorer for the Canadiens with two goals. Jake Allen saved 29 of 32 shots in the win.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Canadiens won two of the three games between the teams last season, although the Red Wings were 3-2 (OT) victors in their final meeting in November. Dylan Larkin led Detroit with two goals. Alex Nedeljkovic got the win, saving 35 of 37 shots (.946%).
FACING OFF
Montreal averaged 2.66 goals per game last season, 27th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Red Wings team that allowed 3.78 goals a game (31st). Meanwhile, Detroit found the net 2.77 times a game on average, 25th in the league, and the Canadiens allowed opponents to score a league-worst 3.87 goals per game. The Canadiens were one of the league’s worst power play teams (31st), scoring on 13.71% of their opportunities, while Detroit’s 73.78% penalty kill percentage ranked as the worst. The Red Wings converted 16.30% of their power play chances (26th). Montreal’s PK% of 75.55 ranked No. 27.
LAST SEASON’S TOP PERFORMERS:
With 61 points last season, Nick Suzuki was the top skater for the Canadiens. He had 21 goals and 40 assists in 82 games. In the net, Allen (9-20-4) was Montreal’s top goaltender by goals against average. He had a 3.30 GAA and a .905% save percentage. Sam Montembeault (8-18-6) led the Canadiens in games played in goal. He had a GAA of 3.77 and a save percentage of .891%. Larkin led the Red Wings in scoring a season ago with 69 points. He played 71 games, scoring 31 goals and providing 38 assists. Nedeljkovic (20-24-9) had the best goals against average for Detroit at 3.31. He had a save percentage of .901%.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Detroit Red Wings (-165)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
