The Montreal Canadiens and the Pittsburgh Penguins meet Saturday in Game 1 of their best-of-five NHL Playoffs Qualifier Series round at 8 p.m. ET at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, one of two hub locations for the NHL restart. We analyze the Canadiens-Penguins’ NHL betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Canadiens vs. Penguins: Projected starting goalies
Carey Price vs. Tristan Jarry/Matt Murray
Price posted a 27-25-6 record, 2.79 goals against average and .909 save percentage across his 58 starts before the pause button was pressed on the NHL regular season. Price was struggling a little bit before the break, though, losing four of his previous five starts, and winning just twice in regulation over his past 14 outings. Perhaps the rest will end up being a godsend for the veteran backstop. He allowed three goals on 27 shots in his most recent showing against the Pens on Feb. 14, but he is 1-1-1 with a 2.32 GAA and .929 SV% in three head-to-head meetings this season.
While Price is the unquestioned starter for the Habs, the goaltender picture in the Steel City is a bit muddled. To make matters even more complicated, a Game 1 starter hasn’t been announced, and both tendies made an appearance in the final preseason game. Jarry earned an All-Star bid, going 20-12-1 with a 2.43 GAA and .921 SV% across 31 starts and two relief appearances, but he dropped his last four starts before COVID struck. Murray’s overall body of work doesn’t look as impressive, although he was 20-11-5. He posted a 2.87 GAA and .899 SV% in his 38 starts but had won three of four before the break.
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Canadiens vs. Penguins: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated Saturday at 7:25 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Penguins 4, Canadiens 3
Moneyline (ML)
The PENGUINS (-167) have picked up wins in eight of their past 11 meetings against the Canadiens (+140), so Pittsburgh is probably the last team Montreal wanted to see in the bubble. Keep in mind, however, that the underdog has connected in five of the past six meetings. Don’t let that dissuade you from picking Pittsburgh, however, as it just has more firepower on offense.
New to sports betting? A winning $10 bet on the Penguins (-167) to win returns a profit of $5.99, while a $10 wager on the Canadiens (+140) results in a profit of $14.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
The PENGUINS (-1.5, +165) is a tempting play, and you might as well make a small-unit wager on the puck line if you’re feeling Pittsburgh in Game 1. Over the past 10 meetings in this series, Pittsburgh has won seven times. Of those seven wins, the Pens covered the puck line on six occasions.
Over/Under (O/U)
OVER 5.5 (-110) is a good play, as Price, Jarry and Murray have each had their moments this season. However, they’ve also had their streaks of poor play, and we could see the offenses roll it up early in this series. While the Under has cashed in four in a row, we have had a total of 65 goals across the previous 10 meetings, or 6.5 total goals per game.
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