Canadiens Underdogs in Game 3 vs Visiting Golden Knights

The Montreal Canadiens responded to their first trip of the NHL season outside of Canada with a pivotal split of the first two games of their Stanley Cup semifinal series with Vegas. Now, it’s the Golden Knights’ turn to be in unfamiliar territory as Vegas (49-18-4 SU, 34-34-3 O/U) makes the long trek north for Game 3 against the upstart Canadiens (33-25-11 SU, 28-37-4 O/U) on Friday night.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

Vegas kicked off the betting as a -170 favorite but has settled in at -160 or -165 depending on where you wager, while Montreal is locked in from +140 to +150. The total is set at O5 -135 after Sportsbook at U5.5 -145; the U5 is installed at +115 in most spots.

Vegas News & Notes

Two nights after impressively halting the Canadiens’ seven-game winning streak, the Golden Knights saw their own five-game run come to an end in a 3-2 defeat in which they fell behind 3-0 before a late rally fell just short. Vegas struggled to match Montreal’s early intensity, getting outshot 12-4 and out-chanced 14-4 in what was a dominant first-period showing from the visitors.

If the Golden Knights want to put themselves in position to regain the series lead, winning more faceoffs might be a good place to start. Vegas came into the series with the top success rate in the Stanley Cup playoffs but is down 67-50 to the Canadiens through two games. That disadvantage looms large, with four of Vegas’s six goals in the series coming on offensive zone faceoff wins.

Montreal News & Notes

The Canadiens came out with plenty of hustle in Game 2 after looking flat in a 4-1 loss in the series opener. They’re now 6-2 in their past eight road games and return home to play in front of a crowd of roughly 3,000 fans – and while that won’t match the intensity of a much larger audience at T-Mobile, it should still buoy a Montreal team that is just 16-13-4 at home this season.

As he has been throughout the postseason, goaltender Carey Price will be a focal point as the series shifts north. Price has been terrific wherever he has played, but has been particularly stingy on home ice with a 1.91 goals-against average and .930 save percentage in five games. Vegas has averaged just 2.50 goals over its first six road games of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Betting Pick: Canadiens (+140)

We saw Montreal struggle in its first game outside Canada; look for the Golden Knights to face their own difficulties in their first trip outside the U.S., particularly against a Canadiens team that has played good defensive hockey at home in recent weeks.