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The Montreal Canadiens are on the road to play the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.
Montreal Canadiens vs Pittsburgh Penguins preview
The Montreal Canadiens are 22-26-8 and 14th in the East. Montreal is coming off a 3-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres at home on Wednesday and is on a three-game losing skid.
The Canadiens have been led by Nick Suzuki, who has 53 points. Cole Caufield has 45 points. Mike Matheson has 41 points. Sean Monahan has 35 points, while Juraj Slafkovsky has 30 points.
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The Penguins, meanwhile, have been a bit of a disappointment this season, as they are 24-21-8 and 12th in the Eastern Confernece. Pittsburgh is coming off a 5-4 OT loss to the New York Islanders and is on a two-game losing skid.
The Penguins are led by Sidney Crosby who has 55 points. Jake Guentzel has 52 points. Evgeni Malkin has 42 points. Erik Karlsson has 39 points. Kris Letang has 32 points, while Bryan Rust has 32.
Canadiens vs Penguins: Head-to-head & key numbers
- Pittsburgh is 74-116-23-11 all-time against Montreal.
- The Penguins are averaging 2.89 goals per game, which ranks 25th.
- Montreal is 11-10-5 on the road with a -16 goal differential.
- Pittsburgh is allowing 2.68 goals per game, which ranks fourth.
- The Canadiens are averaging 2.78 goals per game, which ranks 27th.
- The Penguins are 13-10-4 with a +7 goal differential at home.
- Montreal is allowing 3.53 goals per game, which ranks 28th.
Canadiens vs Penguins: Odds & Prediction
The Montreal Canadiens are +185 underdogs, while the Pittsburgh Penguins are a -225 favorite, with the over/under set at six goals.
Both Montreal and Pittsburgh have struggled recently, but this is a good game for the Pittsburgh Penguins to return to the win column. The Canadiens are on the second half of a back-to-back, so the team could be tired.
Pittsburgh should score quite a bit against Montreal, who tend to give up too many high-danger chances, as their defense has been an issue.
Prediction: Penguins 5-3 Canadiens
Canadiens vs Penguins: Betting Tips
Tip 1: Pittsburgh to win -225
Tip 2: Over 6 goals -120
Tip 3: Bryan Rust over 0.5 points -166
Tip 4: Reilly Smith over 0.5 points +100
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