General view of the arena during the singing of the national anthems between the Montreal Canadiens and the Detroit Red Wings during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on October 15, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Canadiens Have Dropped Five Straight Meetings With Blues

The Montreal Canadiens have gotten off to a hot start due to a surprisingly hot offense and will attempt to record their fourth victory in five outings on Wednesday at home against the St. Louis Blues. Sportsbooks opened the Habs as -115 home favorites with a total of 5.5.

SHARK BITES
  • The Blues are 5-0 SU in their last five games vs the Canadiens (avg. winning margin: 1.4).
  • The total has gone OVER in five of the Canadiens’ last six games with one day off between games.
  • The Canadiens are 1-6 SU in their last seven games after a win.

Blues vs Canadiens Game Center

Tatar making a great impression on his new team

Tomas Tatar, who was acquired from Vegas in September in the Max Pacioretty trade, hit the ground running with the Canadiens by notching his second straight three-point performance against his former team in Monday’s 7-3 win over the reeling Detroit Red Wings. Montreal’s hot start to the season is especially noteworthy considering it took 11 games for the Habs to get their third win in 2017-18.

St. Louis was hyped as a potential Stanley Cup contender after a busy offseason but hasn’t looked the part so far thanks to setbacks in four of five games heading into Wednesday’s opener of a three-game road trip. The good news for Blues backers is they’ve won five in a row over the Canadiens and have recorded at least a point in 12 of the last 15 encounters between the clubs.

What about the total?

Totals bettors might find themselves a bit conflicted in this one, as betting trends are pointing in opposite directions. The OVER is 5-1 in the Canadiens’ past six tilts with one day off between games, while the UNDER is 6-1 in the Blues’ past seven with two days off between games.

Price, Allen expected to get the start in net

Carey Price and Jake Allen are listed as the probable starters in between the pipes in this one. Allen (1-1-2, 4.13 goals-against average, .878 save percentage) has won his last three starts vs Montreal, posting a 2.33 GAA and .918 SP in those games. Price (1-1-1, 2.32 GAA, .909 SP) picked up his lone regulation win of the season against the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 6, allowing only one goal on 22 shots.

My pick: take the Habs at home

I expect the Blues to contend for a playoff spot come the spring, yet something is clearly not right in St. Louis right now, and the Canadiens barely resemble the team that struggled through the majority of the 2017-18 season. The edge Montreal has in net is massive, as Allen’s bloated 4.13 GAA and .878 SP are hard to ignore. Consider the Blues fade material until they can string together wins.

The Blues are 5-0 SU in their last five games vs the Canadiens (avg. winning margin: 1.4). The total has gone OVER in five of the Canadiens’ last six games with one day off between games.home The Canadiens are 1-6 SU in their last seven games after a win.home
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