Thanks to wins in six of their last seven games, the Boston Bruins now reside only two points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second spot in the Atlantic Division. The Bruins will look to keep the momentum going at home on Monday in the finale of a four-game season series with the archrival Montreal Canadiens. Sportsbooks opened the B’s as -185 home favorites with a total of 5.5.
- The Canadiens are 1-8 SU in their last nine games vs the Bruins.
- The total has gone UNDER in the Canadiens’ last six games vs the Bruins (avg. combined score: 3.83).
- The Canadiens are 6-14 SU in their last 20 games vs their division on the road.
Canadiens vs Bruins Game Center
Road teams finding success in Habs-Bruins matchups
David Pastrnak scored the eventual game-winning goal in Saturday’s 3-2 victory over Toronto to boost his team-leading total in goals (26) and points (53). The 22-year-old collected a pair of assists in Boston’s 4-0 shutout over the Habs at Bell Centre on December 17 as the road team improved to 3-0-0 SU in the season series. David Krejci, who’s scored in back-to-back games and has five points in January, also notched a tally in the Bruins’ last meeting with the Canadiens.
Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher answered an eight-game goal drought by finding the back of the net in back-to-back contests to raise his team-leading total to 17 before being held in check in Montreal’s 3-0 triumph over Colorado on Saturday. Star goaltender Carey Price has fared well vs the Bruins in his career, as the veteran owns a sparkling 25-13-5 record with two shutouts against Boston.
Habs simply haven’t been able to solve the Bruins
To say the Bruins have had the Canadiens’ number in recent years would be a massive understatement. In the past nine meetings between the Eastern Conference clubs, Boston is a sizzling 8-1 SU. The Bruins are also 8-1 SU in their previous nine against teams with winning records, proving they’re up to the task of going toe-to-toe with the upper-echelon teams in the league.
When it comes to the total, sharp bettors may want to pay attention to the UNDER in this one. The UNDER has paid out in each of the last six meetings between the squads with an average combined score of 3.9 goals. The Canadiens have been UNDER machines on their own, as Montreal’s last seven games have gone below the closing total with an average combined score of 3.7 goals.
Price, Rask set to start in net
Price (17-13-4, 2.64 goals-against average, .910 save percentage) owns a 1-2-0 record with a 2.37 GAA and .932 SV% vs the Bruins this season. Rask (13-8-2, 2.41 GAA, .921 SV%) is riding a five-game winning streak, posting a 1.38 GAA and .955 SV% and one shutout in the process.
My pick: take the UNDER
The UNDER trends for this game are simply too good to ignore, and I think we’re due to see yet another low-scoring affair at TD Garden tonight. The Bruins have been one of the top UNDER teams in the NHL this season, as they enter this game with an O/U record of 16-26. The low 5.5 total may scare off some puck bettors but it’s set that low for a reason.
