Tag: Canadiens

Former Wisconsin hockey star throws out first pitch at Milwaukee Brewers game

Former Wisconsin hockey star throws out first pitch at Brewers game

Former Wisconsin men’s hockey forward Cole Caufield threw out the first pitch at the Milwaukee Brewers game against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. The 23-year-old spent two seasons with the Badgers from 2019-2021.

Caufield scored 49 goals while also adding 39 assists over 67 games during his time in Madison, Wisconsin. He got to play alongside his older brother Brock Caufield, as the two brothers helped lead the Badgers to a Big Ten regular-season title in Cole’s final year on campus.

The 5-foot-8, 175-pound athlete was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens with the 15th overall selection in the 2019 NHL Draft and reported to the team after his two campaigns in Madison.

Caufield has now completed four seasons in the league, most recently playing in all 82 games in 2023-2024, compiling 65 total points (28 goals and 37 assists).

A native of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, Caufield has remained active in his home state, including his appearance at the Brewers game Saturday.

Montreal Canadiens at New York Islanders odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Tuesday’s Montreal Canadiens at New York Islanders sports betting odds and lines, with NHL betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Montreal Canadiens (30-28-9) tangle with the New York Islanders (35-21-8) Tuesday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., at 7 p.m. ET. We analyze the Canadiens-Islanders sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.

Canadiens at Islanders: Projected starting goalies

Carey Price vs. Thomas Greiss

Price is 26-23-6 with a 2.76 goals against average and .910 save percentage across 55 starts. While he actually has a losing record since the All-Star break, going 6-7-2, his GAA is better than his season numbers at 2.54. He also has a 2.63 GAA on the road in 25 outings as opposed to a 2.87 in 30 contests at home. He allowed two goals on 23 shots in a 4-2 win over the Isles at Bell Centre in his only previous start vs. NYI this season.

Greiss is 16-8-3 with a 2.65 GAA and .916% SV% across 29 starts and two relief appearances. He is 9-2-1 with a 2.44 GAA and .917 SV% in 13 home games (12 starts). He lost to the Canadiens Dec. 23, yielding three goals on 39 shots.

Place a sports bet on this hockey action or other games at BetMGM.

Canadiens at Islanders: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 11:50 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Islanders 3, Canadiens 2

Moneyline (ML)

The ISLANDERS (-143) have rattled off five wins in the past seven home games, and they’re 5-1 in the past six as a home favorite. The Isles are also 15-5 in their past 20 against Atlantic Division foes, making them an attractive play against the Canadiens (+120). Montreal is just 3-7 in the past 10, and 2-5 in the past seven tries against winning teams.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Islanders ML returns a profit of $6.99 if they win, while a $10 wager on the Canadiens ML results in a profit of $12.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

This is going to be a close battle with strong goaltending. Goals will be at a premium. If the Islanders (-1.5, +185) do cover the puck line, bettors will likely need to sweat out an empty-net goal in the final seconds. Too risky. AVOID.

Over/Under (O/U)

PASS. The O/U is set at 5.5 (Over +100, Under -121). The under is a risky, considering the Over is 6-1 in the past seven for the Habs, and 5-0 in the past five against winning teams. However, the Under is 8-1 in the past nine for the Isles. The trends are all over the board, making this a play to AVOID.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Thursday’s Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals sports betting odds and lines, with NHL matchup analysis, picks and tips.

The Montreal Canadiens (27-27-8) visit the Washington Capitals (37-17-5) Thursday at Capital One Arena for a 7 p.m. ET puck drop. We analyze the Canadiens-Capitals odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.

The Canadiens enter on a five-game skid, recently losing at the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 Tuesday. The Capitals own a two-game losing streak and have dropped four of their last five – recently suffering a 3-2 setback at the Vegas Golden Knights Monday.

Canadiens at Capitals: Projected starting goalies

Carey Price vs. Braden Holtby

Price is 24-22-5 with a 2.76 goals against average (GAA), a .910 save percentage and three shutouts. The 2015 Vezina Trophy winner’s recent struggles have been in direct correlation with the Habs’ skid. He’s allowed 17 goals – at least 3 per game – in the current five-game losing streak. He’s 1-1 vs. the Capitals this season, winning at Washington 5-2 Nov. 15, and losing 4-2 (allowing 3 goals) in Montreal Jan. 27.

Holtby – the 2016 Vezina Trophy winner – is 21-13-4 with a 3.11 GAA, an .897 SV% and no shutouts. He was pulled in his last start after yielding 7 goals on 25 shots in a 7-2 loss vs. the Philadelphia Flyers Saturday. He did win the start before that, beating the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 Feb. 13. He did not play in the first game vs. the Canadiens, but he was the winning goalie Jan. 27 when he stopped 31 of 33 shots.

Place a sports bet on this hockey action or other games at BetMGM.

Canadiens at Capitals: Key injuries

Canadiens

  • D Victor Mete (foot) questionable
  • RW Brendan Gallagher (lower body) questionable

Capitals

  • C Evgeny Kuznetsov (upper body) questionable

Canadiens at Capitals: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 2:10 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Capitals 5, Canadiens 2

Moneyline (ML)

AVOID. The Capitals (-209) are just too expensive. Every $2.09 wagered on the Caps ML only profits $1 if they win. The Canadiens (+170) offer value – a 1.7-to-1 payoff – but I can’t back a team on a 5-game slide. I’ll PASS.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (PL/ATS)

WASHINGTON (-1.5, +135) is the STRONGEST PLAY. Look for LF Alex Ovechkin to snap a 5-game scoreless streak in his quest for 700 career goals – he has 698 – in front of a raucous home crowd as the Caps return from a three-game road trip. The Canadiens (+1.5, -162) will be skating into an ambush here.

Over/Under (O/U)

A slight lean to the OVER 5.5 (-154). The Over is 4-1-1 in the last six head-to-head matchups, while the Capitals are 6-0-1 Over in their last seven vs. Eastern Conference teams.

Every $1.54 bet on the Over profits $1 if there are 6 or more goals scored.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Johnny’s 2019-20 NHL strongest plays: 10-5.

Strongest plays (all sports) since Dec. 1: 24-10.

Follow @JohnnyParlay11 and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Washington Capitals at Montreal Canadiens odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Monday’s Washington Capitals at Montreal Canadiens sports betting odds and lines, with NHL matchup analysis, picks and tips.

The Washington Capitals (33-11-5) visit the Montreal Canadiens (22-21-7) Monday at the Bell Centre for a 7 p.m. ET puck drop. We analyze the Capitals-Canadiens odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.

The Capitals, who lead the Metropolitan Division by 4 points, open the second half of the season on a three-game winning streak. The Canadiens own a two-game win streak and have won four of their last five.

Capitals at Canadiens: Projected starting goalies

Braden Holtby vs. Carey Price

Holtby is 18-9-4 with a 3.09 goals against average (GAA) and a .897 save percentage. The 2016 Vezina Trophy winner allowed four goals on 22 shots in his last start before being removed for Ilya Samsonov after the second period at the New York Islanders Jan. 18 – Washington scored five third-period goals to rally for a 6-4 win.

Price – the 2015 Vezina Trophy winner – is 20-16-4 with a 2.84 GAA and a .908 SV%. He won his last four starts and features a 2.11 GAA in January. He stopped 26 of 28 shots in a 5-2 home win vs. the Capitals Nov. 15, the one time these two clubs met this season.

Place a sports bet on this hockey action or other games at BetMGM.

Capitals at Canadiens: Key injuries, suspensions

Capitals

  • LW Alex Ovechkin (one-game suspension for skipping All-Star game) out

Canadiens

  • C Paul Byron (knee) out
  • C Jonathan Drouin (wrist) out
  • RW Brendan Gallagher (head) out

Capitals at Canadiens: Odds, picks and betting tips

Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 7:15 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Canadiens 5, Capitals 3

Moneyline (ML)

Back the CANADIENS (+115) despite a 10-12-4 home record and the Capitals’ 18-6-1 road mark. Washington is (-139), but Holtby has struggled in January, going 1-2 with a 3.82 GAA and an .857 SV% in four starts.

Every $1 wagered on the Canadiens ML will profit $1.15 if they prevail.

Puck Line/Against the Spread (PL/ATS)

AVOID. Montreal (+1.5, -239) is too expensive – the Habs are 25-25 vs. the PL overall and 9-17 vs. the PL at home. Washington (-1.5, +190) offers a 1.9-to-1 payoff, but since I’m going with the home team ML play, I’ll PASS.

Over/Under (O/U)

The OVER 5.5 (-154) is bit more costly than usual, but it’s the STRONGEST PLAY. I won’t be surprised if the O/U closes at 6. Washington is 7-3 O/U in its last 10 and 31-18 O/U overall. Montreal is usually an Under team, going 2-8 O/U in its last 10, but I’m counting on the Habs to find the back of the net several times vs. Holtby.

Every $1.54 bet on the Over profits $1 if there are 6 or more goals scored.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Johnny’s record since Dec. 1: 36-24-2. Strongest plays: 20-9.

January’s NHL record: 5-2. Strongest plays: 3-1.

Follow @JohnnyParlay11 and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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