The second game of the regular season for each team, the Montreal Canadiens and the Pittsburgh Penguins clash at PPG Paints Arena for an Eastern Conference showdown. CBC Sports will showcase the action, which gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 6.
Montreal Canadiens at Pittsburgh Penguins Odds
Montreal (+225) is currently the underdog to Pittsburgh (-265), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at an even 6 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under). After they initially opened at -120 over and +100 under, those lines have shifted.
The Montreal Canadiens went just 29-53 straight up (SU) last season, while the Pittsburgh Penguins finished 47-35.
The visiting Canadiens managed to score 2.55 goals per game on offense (32.7 shot attempts per game), while the defense gave up 3.22 goals per contest. Opponents only had to average 32.3 shots per game to achieve that 3.22 figure last year.
Behind an offense that managed 33.7 shot attempts per matchup, the Penguins were able to put up 3.34 goals/game. The defense yielded 30.6 shots and 3.02 goals per game.
When it comes to last season’s power-play performance, the Penguins were the better team on both offense and defense. They converted on a whopping 25.7 percent of their man- advantages and killed off 80.4 percent of the power plays encountered by the defense. On the other hand, the Canadiens found paydirt on 21.3 percent of their power play opportunities during the 2017-18 season. They were able to kill off 74.1 percent of all opposition power plays.
Montreal Canadiens at Pittsburgh Penguins Free Picks
Free NHL Tip: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Over
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Notes
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Montreal was 2-6 in shootouts last season. Pittsburgh was 2-2 in games that went to a shootout.
Montreal has managed 36.0 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Pittsburgh is averaging 41.0 shots per game over its last five at home.
Montreal skaters registered 26.5 hits per game last season, while the Pens logged 24.6 hits per matchup.
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