The Montreal Canadiens (33-30-9) visit the Florida Panthers (44-25-3) on Sunday afternoon
Montreal has lost five in a row and is hanging on to the final Wild Card spot in the East
Read below for Canadiens vs Panthers prediction, odds and prop pick for Sunday’s game on NHL Net
Clinging to the final Wild Card spot in the East, the Montreal Canadiens (33-30-9) are in Florida for a Sunday matinee date with the Panthers (44-25-3), who are in the midst of chasing down an Atlantic Division crown.
Action gets underway from Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, FL at 1pm ET, with NHL Net providing broadcast coverage.
Montreal’s latest slide — losers of five straight — has allowed both the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Rangers to pull into a tie with them in points. They’re not getting much love from the books, as they’re pegged as +230 moneyline underdogs in this one.
Can Florida, just a point back of the Maple Leafs for top spot in the Atlantic, continue to add misery to the Habs’ late-season slump?
Here is our Canadiens vs Panthers prediction for this Sunday matchup.
Canadiens vs Panthers Prediction
Montreal’s 4-game road trip mercifully comes to an end in Sunrise, as the Canadiens have been crushed on every stop so far, in losses to the Blues, Flyers and to the Carolina Hurricanes last time out, dropping a 4-1 decision.
The Habs have been lit up on the scoreboard, outscored 16-6 on this trip. On the season, they own the sixth-worst goals against, surrendering 3.35 per contest.
An offense that churns out just 2.97 goals per game on the year (17th) leaves them little chance to outscore their problems.
Perhaps the Panthers are the team they need to face now, since they’re one of the top teams that Montreal has been able to handle. They’ve won three straight against Florida including both matchups this season: a 4-0 win on Dec 28 in Florida, and a 3-1 decision back at home.
Florida’s on a different kind of fun run, as they dumped Utah 2-1 in overtime, giving them three wins in the last four games, all wins post-regulation.
Overall, four losses in their last 14 has helped them into the Atlantic Division title race, a three-way battle between Florida, Tampa and Toronto, with the Maple Leafs a single point up on both Sunshine State clubs.
Their stunning trade deadline acquisition — Bruins super pest Brad Marchand — finally made his debut for Florida, setting up Sam Bennett’s OT winner over Utah.
Marchand is definitely on the back nine of his stellar career, but he can provide some offensive juice to a team that’s just outside the Top 10 in scoring, putting up 3.17 goals per game.
Montreal has just one win in its last seven road games, going 1-4-2 in those games. They’re also a rough finisher on the road, going 1-3-1 in the final game of a road trip of three games or longer.
Florida is not an easy out, and gets on the board in the season series Sunday.
Canadiens vs Panthers Pick:
Panthers -1.5 (-105 at Bet365)
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