The Montreal Canadiens are 8-4-0 SU in December after picking up two wins in a three-game road trek out west prior to the holiday break. The Habs return to action in the Sunshine State tonight against the Florida Panthers. Sportsbooks opened the Panthers as -145 home favorites with a total of 6.
SHARK BITES
- The total has gone UNDER in the Canadiens’ last three games vs the Panthers (avg. combined score: 3.0).
- The Canadiens are 4-13 SU in their last 17 games vs their division on the road.
- The Canadiens are 0-3 SU in their last three games vs the Panthers (avg. losing margin: 3.0).
Canadiens vs Panthers Game Center
Canadiens haven’t been able to slow down Panthers lately
Phillip Danault’s hat trick gave the Canadiens a 4-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights last Saturday to send the squad into the break on a high note. Montreal plays at Tampa Bay on Saturday and Dallas on Monday to complete the trip and left home without No. 1 goaltender Carey Price, as the star netminder is dealing with a lower-body injury. Montreal is looking to snap a three-game losing streak to the Panthers, which have all been shutouts.
Winners of four of their past five, the Panthers are also feeling pretty good right now. Florida topped Chicago 6-3 on Sunday following a 2-1 win at Detroit a day earlier. Captain Aleksander Barkov, Evgenii Dadonov and Mike Hoffman are playing especially well right now. Rookie forward Jayce Hawryluk scored the first two goals of his NHL career in his fifth game on Sunday and has made a good impression on head coach Bob Boughner so far.
Montreal has been a fantastic puckline bet
Should bettors expect yet another UNDER to cash in this series? The Canadiens and Panthers have a habit of going UNDER totals, evidenced by each of the past three matchups between the squads going UNDER the closing total with an average score of three goals. The Habs have also gone UNDER in 12 of their previous 17 against divisional opponents away from home.
Quietly, Montreal has turned into an excellent puckline wager in December. Entering tonight’s game, the Canadiens are 12-3 on the puckline. Montreal’s +1.5 puckline can be had for a price of -220 at Sportsbook.
Niemi, Luongo to start in the crease
Antti Niemi (4-3-1, 4.13 goals-against average, .876 save percentage) was pulled after allowing seven goals on 23 shots in the Canadiens' 7-1 loss to Minnesota on December 11. Luongo (8-6-1, 3.00 GAA, .905 SV%) has won three of his last four starts (3-1-0) while posting a 2.36 GAA and .921 SV% in that span.
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