It’s an all-Canadian matchup tonight at Rogers Arena as the Vancouver Canucks aim to hand the Montreal Canadiens their fourth straight defeat.
Goals have been hard to come by for the Habs, who enter tonight having scored just 2.25 gpg in March — the fifth-worst mark in the NHL over that span — while the Canucks own the league’s stingiest defense this month. As a result, Vancouver is a heavy favorite in the NHL odds.
Find out if Vancouver can shut down Montreal’s offense once again in my Canadiens vs. Canucks NHL picks and predictions for Thursday, March 21.
Canadiens vs Canucks odds
Canadiens vs Canucks predictions
The Montreal Canadiens sputtered to a 3-2 overtime loss against the Oilers on Tuesday, marking the third straight game in which they scored two goals or fewer. The goal-scoring has dried up for most of Montreal’s stars down the stretch as Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky have been held to just one tally apiece through eight games played this month.
I don’t foresee that trend changing tonight against the Vancouver Canucks, which is why I’ll take Under 2.5 goals for the Habs as my best bet.
Vancouver has been hot in March, going 5-1-1 on the back of some excellent defense and goaltending. The Canucks are giving up just 1.57 gapg this month — the best mark in the league — while allowing only 23.9 shots against per game, which also ranks first.
Thatcher Demko remains sidelined with a lower body injury, which likely leaves the net to Casey DeSmith tonight. DeSmith has had his ups and downs this season but has steadied the ship with an increased workload in March, posting a .913 SV% and 2.00 GAA through five games.
DeSmith has allowed two goals or fewer in four of his last five appearances and coupled with a stingy Canucks defense that isn’t giving up many scoring chances right now, he should be able to hold the Habs to a couple of tallies at most tonight.
My best bet: Canadiens team total Under 2.5 (-142 at SIA)
Canadiens vs Canucks same-game parlay
Canadiens team total Under 2.5
Under 6.5
Elias Pettersson anytime goal
While I expect the Habs to score Under 2.5 goals, I also like the Under on 6.5 goals between the two teams. Vancouver has seen six goals or fewer scored in seven of its last eight contests while Montreal has seen that happen in five of its last six outings.
I’ll round out the same-game parlay by taking Elias Pettersson as an anytime goal scorer. The Canucks center potted two tallies against the Sabres on Tuesday and leads his team with four goals in seven games this month.
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Canadiens vs Canucks moneyline and Over/Under analysis
The Canucks opened as the huge home favorite at -300 on the moneyline and it’s hard to argue against taking the hosts in this matchup. Vancouver has been the stingiest defensive team in the NHL over the last few weeks and Montreal doesn’t offer much in the way of offensive firepower to suggest that they’ll break through, having scored two goals or fewer in five of their last six games.
Tonight’s total opened at 6 goals but slid up to 6.5 at most books by Wednesday night. With the Canucks allowing two tallies or fewer in six of their last seven games, I like the Under. Vancouver’s offense hasn’t been amazing this month, either, averaging just 2.71 gpg.
The Under is 5-1 in Montreal’s last six games and 6-1 in Vancouver’s last seven contests.
Canadiens vs Canucks betting trend to know
Montreal is 1-8 in its last nine road games. Find more NHL betting trends for Canadiens vs. Canucks.
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Canadiens vs Canucks game info
| Location: | Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC |
| Date: | Thursday, March 21, 2024 |
| Puck drop: | 10:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | SNP, TSN2 |
Canadiens vs Canucks latest injuries
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