The Montreal Canadiens (15-20-3) will be hoping to snap their losing streak when they host the New York Rangers (21-12-6) at Bell Centre on Thursday. New York is coming off a high-scoring 5-3 win over the Hurricanes on Tuesday. The Rangers committed four penalties in the game, though they held Carolina without a power play goal. Five players found the net for the Rangers.
Igor Shesterkin allowed three goals on 23 shots against (.869%) in the win. Montreal is back home for a four-game homestand after a 6-3 loss against the Predators on Tuesday, their sixth straight defeat. Josh Anderson, Brendan Gallagher, and Cole Caufield each scored once for the Canadiens. Sam Montembeault saved only 28 of 34 shots against (.823%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Rangers won two of the three games between the teams last season, although the Canadiens were 4-3 victors in their final meeting in April. Jeff Petry (2G 0A) and Christian Dvorak (0G 2A) each had two points to lead Montreal. Barclay Goodrow led New York with two points (0G 2A). Montembeault got the win despite allowing three goals on 27 shots (.888%).
FACING OFF
New York is averaging 3.23 goals per game for the season, 14th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Canadiens team that is allowing 3.79 goals a game (29th). Meanwhile, Montreal has found the net 2.61 times a game on average, 30th in the league, and the Rangers are allowing opponents to score 2.72 goals per game (8th).
Montreal averages fewer shots per game (28.3) than most teams in the league, ranking 30th. With an average of 32.6 attempts, New York ranks ninth. Power play opportunities are likely to be plentiful for the Rangers, as the Canadiens have been penalized 4.63 times a game, fifth-most in the NHL, for an average of 12.66 minutes (first-highest).
The visitors are averaging 3.54 penalties (5th-fewest in the league) and 8.03 penalty minutes a game (6th-fewest).The Canadiens’ 15.00% power play percentage is the second-worst in the league, while the Rangers rank 11th with a conversion rate of 23.81%. In terms of defending power plays, New York has the league’s 13th-ranked PK% at 79.82%, while Montreal is 24th at 73.53%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 44 and 43 points this season, Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad have been the top skaters for the Rangers. Panarin is among the league leaders with his 33 assists (6th). In the net, Shesterkin (17-6-5) is New York’s top goaltender. He has a 2.41 GAA and a .918% save percentage.
Nick Suzuki and Caufield lead the Canadiens in scoring with 32 and 31 points, respectively. Suzuki has 15 goals and 17 assists in 38 games, while Caufield has 22 goals (9th) and nine assists () in 38 games. Montembeault (6-4-2) has the best goals against average for Montreal at 3.23.
He has a save percentage of .904%. Jake Allen (9-15-1) has played the most games in net for the Canadiens this season. He has a 3.52 GAA and a .894% save percentage.
HOME AND AWAY
New York is 12-5-2 on the road this season. Montreal is 7-9-0 at Bell Centre this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
NY Rangers (-200)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
