The league-leading Boston Bruins look to pick up their fifth straight win when they welcome the Montreal Canadiens to TD Garden tonight.
The hosts have been virtually impenetrable, allowing just three goals during their four-game win streak while recording two shutouts along the way.
Can Montreal pull off an upset in Beantown, or will Boston skate to another easy victory? We’ll discuss in our Canadiens vs Bruins NHL picks and predictions for Thursday, March 23.
Canadiens vs Bruins best odds
Canadiens vs Bruins picks and predictions
The Bruins suffered consecutive losses last week for just the second time this season but have bounced back with the kind of play that we’ve grown to expect from them. Boston has outscored its opponents 17-3 through its last four games, dominating some strong teams like Winnipeg and Minnesota.
The real key for the B’s during this stretch has been goaltending – a common theme all year long. Jeremy Swayman has posted a shutout in each of his last two starts, while Linus Ullmark, who stands as the Vezina Trophy odds frontrunner, stopped 40 of 41 shots last time out and has a .924 SV% through five games in March.
As of Wednesday night, Boston’s starter had not yet been announced but it’s clear that the Bruins will be in good hands regardless of who gets the call between the pipes.
The Canadiens picked up an impressive 3-2 win over the Lightning on Tuesday, but that’s been far from the norm as they’ve earned just two victories in their last 11 outings. Montreal has been thrashed a few times in the last week and change, losing 8-4 to Colorado on March 13 and 9-5 to Florida on March 16.
Despite having so many key players out, the Habs have actually managed to put some pucks in the net with their 3.18 GPG in March, ranking 16th in the NHL. Jonathan Drouin (2 G, 7A), Nick Suzuki (1 G, 7A), and Josh Anderson (4G, 4A) have been productive for Montreal this month, though Anderson could miss tonight’s contest with a lower-body injury.
While the Canadiens have managed to score a few goals of late, I don’t see them having much success against the Bruins, who own the NHL’s top defense at 2.11 GAPG. The Habs have scored two goals or fewer in seven of the last eight meetings, so I’m banking on that happening again tonight with my best bet.
My best bet: Canadiens Under 2.5 goals (-105 at BetMGM)
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Canadiens vs Bruins moneyline analysis
The Bruins opened as the massive home favorite at -412 on the moneyline and it’s hard to argue with the books given the current state of each team. Boston sits atop the NHL standings with 113 points — 13 clear of the next-closest club — while Montreal is at the bottom of the Atlantic Division with 62 points.
The head-to-head history tells a similar story as the B’s enter tonight’s meeting with eight straight victories against the Habs dating to November 2019, with Boston winning by two or more goals in seven of those contests — clearly a one-sided matchup.
The Habs are fresh off a win over the Lightning, but they’ve earned back-to-back victories just seven times this season.
Meanwhile, both of Boston’s last two losses have been against lesser opponents — Chicago and Detroit — but I don’t think that’s enough to go against the big bad Bruins in this matchup.
Canadiens vs Bruins Over/Under analysis
Tonight’s total opened at 6.5 goals, though it slid to 6 at some books by Wednesday night. Given Boston’s elite defense and goaltending, as well as Montreal’s generally lackluster offense, I think the Under is the smart play tonight.
While the Habs have seen a boost in their goal scoring this month, they’ve generated just 2.77 GPG this season — the fifth-worst mark in the NHL. Put that up against the Bruins’ top-ranked defense, and you’ve got a likely recipe for a low-scoring effort from Montreal.
Going the other way is where things could get interesting. The B’s are averaging 3.90 GPG in March while the Canadiens are at 4.27 GAPG over that span, so it’s certainly possible that we see an offensive explosion from Boston.
Historically, these two clubs have played lower-scoring games, though, especially at TD Garden — the Under is 7-1-1 in the last nine meetings in Boston and has cashed 10 times in their last 16 meetings overall.
The bottom line is that even if the B’s pot a handful of goals, I expect their defense to be stingy enough to see this game finish with six tallies or fewer.
Canadiens vs Bruins betting trend to know
The Under is 3-0-1 in Boston’s last four home games. Find more NHL betting trends for Canadiens vs Bruins.
Canadiens vs Bruins game info
| Location: | TD Garden, Boston, MA |
| Date: | Thursday, March 23, 2023 |
| Puck drop: | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | NESN, TSN2 |
Canadiens vs Bruins key injuries
