Montreal Canadiens at Vancouver Canucks NHL Picks & Predictions 12/19/2017

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Rogers Arena

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Montreal Canadiens travel to Rogers Arena to play the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, December 19, 2017. The opening line for this game has the Canadiens at -125 and the Canucks at +113.

Montreal has a record of 14-15-4 this season and on the road they have a record of 5-8-1. They are 4th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 87 goals and given up 103 goals for a point differential of -16. For the season they have an ATS record of 14-19-0 and an over/under record of 15-16-0. Vancouver is 15-15-4 including 6-8-3 at home this season. They are 6th in the Pacific Division. They've scored 88 goals and surrendered 106 for a goal differential of -18. Their record against the spread is 15-19-0 while their over/under record is 19-15-0.

Valuable Montreal Canadiens Betting Trends

The Montreal Canadiens are 14-19-0 straight up this year

The Montreal Canadiens are 15-16-0 against the over/under this season

Important Vancouver Canucks Betting Trends

The Vancouver Canucks are 15-19-0 straight up this year

The Vancouver Canucks are 19-15-0 against the over/under this season

Key Montreal Canadiens Injuries

11/15/17 LW Artturi Lehkonen Lower Body IR (11/13)
11/12/17 GO Al Montoya Concussion IR (11/09)
10/30/17 LW Nikita Scherbak Knee IR (10/26)
10/22/17 RW Ales Hemsky Upper Body IR (10/20)

Key Vancouver Canucks Injuries

12/17/17 RW Brock Boeser Foot left last game, is "?" Tuesday vs Montreal
12/16/17 D Christopher Tanev Groin is out indefinitely
12/14/17 LW Sven Baertschi Facial IR (12/14)
12/07/17 C Bo Horvat Foot is out indefinitely
11/27/17 C Brandon Sutter Upper Body IR (11/25)
11/27/17 D Erik Gudbranson Upper Body IR (11/23)

Player Spotlight

Brendan Gallagher has accumulated 19 total points this season for the Canadiens. He has 13 goals this year with 103 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 13%. He has a total of 6 assists on the season and averages 15.4 minutes played per game. Max Pacioretty averages 19.3 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 6% by scoring 8 goals on 132 shots. He has 10 assists, giving him a total of 18 points on the season. Carey Price has 9 wins and 10 losses this season in net for the Canadiens. He has 623 shots against him and he's given up 59 goals. He's made 564 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Player Spotlight

Thomas Vanek has scored 18 total points this year for the Canucks. He has 7 goals this season with 65 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 11%. He has a total of 11 assists on the season and averages 13.4 minutes played per game. Brock Boeser averages 16.1 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 21% by scoring 17 goals on 82 shots. He has 13 assists, giving him a total of 30 points on the season. Jacob Markstrom has 9 wins and 11 losses this year in goal for the Canucks. He has 686 shots against him and he's surrendered 64 goals. He's made 622 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Canadiens have 32 total points this season, which ranks them 25th in the NHL. They are 25th in the league in goals scored with 87 while they've given up 103 goals, ranking them 10th overall. They have had 104 power play opportunities and have scored 18 goals on those chances for a percentage of 17%. That is 22nd in the NHL. The Canadiens have allowed 109 power play opportunities and have given up 23 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 79%, putting them 25th in the league when short-handed. They average 34 shots per game and as a team shoot 7.75% for the season. They allow 32 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 90%. That puts them 22nd in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Canucks are 23rd in the NHL with a total of 34 points this year. They have 26 power play goals on 119 opportunities for a percentage of 22%. That ranks them 5th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 122 power play opportunities and have given up 25 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 80%. That is 21st in the NHL. As a team, the Canucks are 24th in the league with 88 goals scored while they've given up 106 goals, which is 8th overall. They average 29 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 8.94%. As a team they give up 32 shots per game and have a save percentage of 90%. That is 20th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Montreal is 12th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 51.4%, as they've attempted 2,076 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,966 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 51.5% as they have 1,516 attempts while they have given up 1,429 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 10th in the league. The Canadiens start possessions in the offensive zone 52.6% of the time, which is 10th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 47.4% for the season. That is 23rd overall in the NHL. They have 1,008 face-off wins compared to 1,069 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.5%. That ranks them 23rd in the league. On defense Montreal has 838 hits and they have blocked 537 shots from the opposition, putting them 2nd overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Canucks are 16th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 50.5% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 49.5% for the season, which is 15th in the NHL. They have 1,000 face-off wins compared to 1,054 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.7%. That is 25th in the league. On defense Vancouver has 591 hits and they have blocked 432 shots from the opposition, which is 28th in the league. Vancouver is 27th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 47.8% as they've attempted 1,768 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,929 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 46.9% ranks 29th as they have 1,324 attempts while they have given up 1,497 shots on the defensive end.

Who will win tonight's Canadiens/Canucks NHL game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take Vancouver +113

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Josh Schonwald