The Montreal Canadiens have run out of steam. After a surprising 14-12-2 start to the season, the Habs have gone just 1-7-1 in their last nine games and now look like they’re on a fast track toward the NHL Draft Lottery.
It’s not a bad place for the Canadiens to be heading – they were supposed to be bad this season, and the 2023 Draft Class is deep and headlined by generational talent Connor Bedard – but Montreal will want to get things back to a respectable place before things. spiral further out of control for this young roster.
Tuesday’s game against Nashville provides a decent opportunity for the Habs to do just that.
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Canadiens vs. Predators prediction (8 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
Everything looks pretty ugly for the Canadiens right now. Not only have they won just once in their last nine games, but they also have a -25 goal differential in that span. Montreal’s offense is usually what drives the bus and makes the Habs a threat to pull some upsets, but they’re scoring just 1.8 goals per game over their last 10 contests.
Montreal is also dealing with a handful of injuries, notably to top-six defensemen David Savard, Michael Matheson, and Kaiden Guhle.
This all sounds pretty damning for the Canadiens, but sometimes you need to look at a bet through a different lens for it to make sense. Rather than viewing this as a bet on Montreal, you can begin to see the light by viewing it as a bet against the Nashville Predators as a heavy favorite.
Nashville is certainly the better team in this matchup, but that isn’t really a high bar to clear right now. And the Preds are not clearing it by a wide margin. The Predators have gone 5-5-4 since Dec. 1 and even that mediocre record is a bit flattering. Nashville ranks 21st in expected goals rate and 20th in high-danger scoring chance rate during that span, but the Preds are getting bailed out by their goaltenders, who own a league-best .945 save percentage at 5-on-5 in that span. . That is impressive, but unsustainable.
Juuse Saros is one of the best goaltenders in the NHL and his deputy, Kevin Lankinen, has been impressive in his first season with the Preds, but the fact that Nashville has only gone 5-5-4 over its last 14 games despite getting the best goaltending in the entire league in that span tells you where this team is at right now.
Betting on the NHL?
It’s not a fun bet to make coming off a 9-2 loss to the Capitals, but we’re approaching the bottom of the market for the Habs and getting a great number to go against a pedestrian Predators team that hasn’t been playing well. , either.
Canadiens vs. Predators pick
Canadiens +185 (FanDuel)
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