Seattle Kraken vs. Montreal Canadiens Prediction: Fade the Kraken
Seattle Kraken vs. Montreal Canadiens Prediction: Fade the Kraken
The Montreal Canadiens return home after a five game road trip to take on the expansion Seattle Kraken tonight. Montreal went 3-2 on the trip with wins over Ottawa, Edmonton and Calgary. The Habs remain hot under Martin St. Louis, as they have a 7-5 record and have averaged 3.33 goals per game and have allowed just 2.83 goals per game. Cole Caufield has benefitted most from the coaching change. The youngster has recorded 7 goals and 8 assists in the 12 games.
Seattle Kraken vs Montreal Canadiens Prediction
This is the second meeting of the season between these teams. Seattle took a 5-1 victory in October, in Seattle. As noted above, a lot has changed for the Canadiens since then. They are playing inspired hockey under St. Louis, their top line of Caufield, Suzuki and Anderson have been raking in the points. Montreal has scored 3 or more goals in 9 of their last 10 games and have a very favorable matchup tonight against the Kraken.
Seattle is on the final game of a five game road trip, having lost the first four. Seattle erased a three-goal third-period deficit in their last game against Ottawa, only to lose in overtime on Thursday night. It has been a difficult season for the Kraken, especially on the road where they have a record of 7-20-3. On the road, Seattle is averaging 2.47 goals per game (4th fewest) and they are allowing 3.43 goals per game (10th most). The Kraken have an awful road penalty kill as their 69.3 percentage is second worst in the league.
Seattle has given up 8 power play goals during this road trip. This provides a struggling Montreal power play with a chance to get going tonight. Seattle's defensive metrics this season are actually pretty good. They are 9th in expected goals against and 9th in high danger scoring chances against. Their goaltending, however, has been their downfall. Last year's Vezina finalist and free agent acquisition Philipp Grubauer has been flat out bad. Grub has a 3.22 goals-against average and a .887 save percentage. He has given up three or more goals in five straight starts and 11 of his last 13. Grubauer is the projected starter tonight. Backup Chris Driedger has not been much better. Driedger has a 3.37 goals-against average and a .886 save percentage this season.
Montreal is in a spot of which I'm usually cautious, in the first game home from a long road trip. But, they have had two days off and I'm comfortable betting them here with Seattle being their first opponent. I like the Habs to win this game in regulation and continue their hot scoring pace tonight against Seattle.
Seattle Kraken vs. Montreal Canadiens Line Movement
Seattle Kraken vs. Montreal Canadiens Pick
- PICK: Montreal 3 way @ +140 (Bet $100 to win $140)
- PICK: Montreal Team Total Over 3 @ -120 (Bet $120 to win $100)
Article Author
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Tone has been handicapping the four major sports for over twenty years. An NHL enthusiast, Tone’s expertise lies on the ice. He’s excelled and profited finding the right angles on NHL games, particularly with player props, game props, and game totals. A contributor to several gaming sites, you can follow him on Twitter @TonesTakes.