Pittsburgh vs. Montreal: NHL Match Prediction

Current form

Few could have expected that Pittsburgh decline would last so long. After a successful start to the season, the team suddenly stopped earning points altogether, suffering six defeats in a row. Remarkably, almost all the matches ended in regulation time, and only in one of them did they manage to impose a decent fight on Calgary, losing in a shootout (3:4). Naturally, there were also defeats, the Penguins were unable to stop the onslaught of Winnipeg and Edmonton, suffering defeats with scores of 3:6 and 0:4, respectively. The main reason for such a long series of failures was the club weak defense. Opponents could consistently afford to create a huge number of dangerous moments and constantly shoot at the goal, for which the goalies were not ready.

However, having returned to their home arena, the Penguins were finally able to break their losing streak, having snatched victory from Anaheim with great difficulty (2:1). They were able to achieve success only due to the brilliant play of the team main forward, Sidney Crosby, who was first able to tie the score in the third period, correcting a throw by his teammate, and then in overtime he masterfully robbed the opponent in his own zone and shot the goalie right through.

Disqualifications and injuries

The Pittsburgh infirmary remains unchanged. Forwards Matt Nieto and Bryan Rust will be out for the upcoming game.

Interesting trends for betting

• On average, Pittsburgh allows four goals per game.

As we have already noted, the club main problem continues to be its weak defensive play, which leads to a huge number of goals conceded.

• The Penguins average 32 shots per game.

But the attacking line continues to show excellent play and consistently creates many dangerous moments in the opponent zone.

Current form

Montreal seemed to have recovered from its slump as the team began to show excellent results. The Canadians played at home, where they crushed St. Louis with a score of 5:2. Despite the large number of goals scored, goalie Montembeault deserves praise, having reflected 94% of the shots, which allowed them to avoid problems. The team then went to visit Philadelphia, where they consolidated their success, snatching a victory in regulation time (4:3). This time, Suzuki and Gallagher distinguished themselves, having scored two points each.

True, upon returning to their home arena, the Canadiens were unable to give Seattle a worthy rebuff, suffering a crushing defeat with a score of 2:8. Already at the end of the first period, the Krakens had a three-goal advantage, from which Montreal was unable to recover. On the road, Washington again had lapses in defense, which led to another defeat (3:6). Remarkably, Montreal was unable to show itself in attack at all, and only made 15 shots during the match.

Disqualifications and injuries

Montreal still has problems with its roster, although the number of injured players has significantly decreased. Harvey-Pinard, Laine, Price and Weedman will definitely not play in the upcoming match.

Interesting trends for betting

• Montreal is allowing an average of 4.2 goals per game.

The Canadiens have not been playing their best defense, which is the main reason for the club losses.

• Canadians average 11.5 goals per game

The team is also not very disciplined and is constantly being removed.