The Pittsburgh Penguins are 19-5-4 in home games this season, including a current run of 12-2-2 over their last 16 at PPG Paints Arena. After having a three-game home winning streak snapped by Tampa Bay on Tuesday, the Penguins will try to get another streak going with a win over the Montreal Canadiens.
- Date/Time: February 14, 7 p.m. ET
- Arena: PPG Paints Arena
- TV Coverage: ESPN+
- Sportsbook Odds: Penguins -190 | O/U 6
- Canadiens vs Penguins Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The odds on this matchup have not shown much movement from their openers with Pittsburgh going off at -190 at home and Montreal at +165 on the road. The total, however, has been bet down from its opener of 6 goals to 5.5 goals. The UNDER is 4-0 in Montreal’s last four games and 3-0 in Pittsburgh’s last three.
Montreal News & Notes
Montreal’s recent red-hot streak has seemingly come to an end with back-to-back regulation losses, at home against the Arizona Coyotes and on the road against the Boston Bruins. Before losing those two games, the Canadiens had gone 9-3 over their previous 12 outings.
One of the key cogs in Montreal’s recent winning streak was 36-year-old Ilya Kovalchuk, whom the Canadiens acquired in a trade from the Los Angeles Kings in early January. Kovalchuk was almost certainly acquired to be flipped at the trade deadline, but with six goals and six assists in 17 games with Montreal, the veteran winger has quickly become a fan favorite and might have played his way into the team’s longer-term plans.
Despite their recent hot streak, the Canadiens still enter Friday’s action sitting 10 points out of a wild-card spot with a 27-25-7 record on the year.
Pittsburgh News & Notes
The Penguins have lost two of their last three games, but both of those losses came to the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are on an insane 21-2-1 tear over their last 24 games.
Before going 1-1-1 in their last three, the Penguins were on a pretty impressive run themselves of 19-5-1 over the prior 25 games. That train will have a chance to get back on the rails with no more regular-season games against the Lightning to deal with.
Pittsburgh’s current goals-against average of 2.73 is on pace to be the team’s lowest since its Stanley Cup-winning campaign in 2015-16. With Sidney Crosby back healthy after missing two months earlier this season and offensive reinforcements likely on the way at the trade deadline, the Penguins look ready to do some damage this postseason.
Betting Pick: Pittsburgh -190
The Penguins are just too strong at home to pick against, especially now that the Canadiens have cooled off from their recent heater.
- Montreal is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games vs Pittsburgh.
- Pittsburgh is 6-0 SU in its last 6 games played on a Friday night.
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh’s last 6 home games vs Montreal.
