LiontipsWashington vs. Montreal. NHL Match Prediction and Bets
Command Analysis
Current form
The Capitals have surprised all hockey fans with their strong results this fall. Washington has earned 12 points in eight starts and is in fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings. The Caps have played less than others in the East and can fight for the lead. Alexander Ovechkin team is in excellent shape and, after losing the opening game, has won five games in a row. The Capitals exchanged victories with New Jersey (3:5 and 6:5, OT) and beat Philadelphia twice (4:1 and 6:3). In the last away game, Spencer Carbery men failed to score for the first time this season and lost to Tampa Bay (0:3). Returning to their home ice, the Washington Capitals sensationally beat the Rangers (5:3).
Despite a large number of injuries, the hosts are making great use of their chances in the fall. The Caps have scored 31 goals, conceding 24. Dylan Strome is the leader of the "lice" attack. The Canadian has scored 11 points (3+8) in the "goal+pass" system. The club captain continues to chase Wayne Gretzky and now Alexander Ovechkin has four goals scored.
Disqualifications and injuries
Nicklas Backstrom, Matt Roy and T.J. Oshie are out against Montreal, while Aleksandr Alexeyev and Jakob Chychrun are questionable.
Interesting trends for betting
- Washington takes 31 shots on goal
The Caps are playing well on offense and are converting 12.4 percent of their shots.
- The Capitals are averaging ten minutes of penalty time per game.
The Capitals concede after penalties in 18.5% of cases.
Current form
Montreal had a poor start to October and had a shaky second half. Martin St. Louis' men only recently snapped their losing streak and were able to climb to 13th place in the conference, with nine points after ten games. After a crushing defeat to the Rangers in Canada (2:7), the Habs pulled themselves together and beat St. Louis (5:2), then took two points in Philadelphia (4:3). In their last game, the Canadiens suffered a big loss to Seattle (2:8), conceding a huge number of goals once again this season.
Nick Suzuki and his teammates are playing worse in defense than other clubs in the East. They allowed 41 goals in October, while the main goalie Samuel Montembeault stopped only 88.95% of the shots in his territory. The captain of the guests took the lead in the team scorers. The forward made 11 effective actions (3+8), but the best sniper of Montreal at the moment is Cole Coyfield (9+1).
Disqualifications and injuries
Kaiden Gule, Rafael Harvey-Pinard, Patrik Laine, Corey Price and Chris Wideman will not play in the capital this Friday. It is unclear whether Justin Barron will take to the ice.
Interesting trends for betting
- Montreal opponents average 32 shots on goal against the Canadiens
The visiting team goalies have been terrible in October, stopping only 87.4% of the shots they've faced.
- The Habs are earning 11.1 penalty minutes per game.
The visitors play well in the minority and “kill” 83.8% of penalties.
Trends
2nd period: Montreal to score
The Canadiens have scored in the second period in four of their last five games.
1.603rd period: Montreal won't lose
The Canadians have not lost in the third 20 minutes in two of their three away games.
1.65Tip and bets
Washington has gained a crazy momentum, and it seems that no one will be able to stop Alexander Ovechkin team. The Capitals beat the Rangers at home before the game against Montreal, but they spent a lot of energy and emotions. Often, it is after such victories that unexpected misfires occur in matches against not the strongest opponents. The Habs play poorly on defense, but they are capable of scoring points in the US capital. In three of the last four meetings, Martin St. Louis' charges scored points in matches against the Capitals. We do not think that the visitors will be routed in the first game of November.
Prediction - Montreal win with Asian handicap (+1) for 1.88
Bet on individual total
Washington scored too much in October, but this cannot continue forever. The hosts have excellent offensive statistics, but in the three previous home games against Montreal, Alexander Ovechkin team has never managed to score more than three times. It time for the Canadians to come to their senses and become more reliable. We believe that the Habs' defense will be able to show a decent game.
We bet on Washington individual total under 3.5 goals for 1.72
Total Bet
Matches between rivals are rarely low-scoring, and it is hard to believe in a low-scoring game now. However, only two out of four games in the US capital have seen more than six goals scored. Montreal will come to Washington after several crushing defeats and is unlikely to force the pace of the match. Let play an unobvious bet on a total of fewer pucks.
We take the total under six pucks with a coefficient of 1.80
