Florida Panthers vs Montreal Canadiens Prediction, 1/8/2026 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Florida Panthers vs Montreal Canadiens

Date: Thursday, January 8, 2026

Location: Bell Centre in Montreal, QC

TV: TSN2

The Montreal Canadiens (23-13-6) will play the Florida Panthers (22-17-3) at Bell Centre on Thursday.

The Florida Panthers will need a bounce back game after taking a 4-1 loss to the Maple Leafs in their previous game. The Panthers left a lot to be desired in terms of their offense in the loss. In the outing, they scored on 1 out of the 32 shots they launched. In addition, they had 3 power play tries but weren't able to score. Florida amassed 9 penalty minutes for this contest.

When at even strength, the Panthers have allowed 108 goals while scoring 100 themselves. Florida Panthers opponents have tallied 143 power play opportunities (3rd in pro hockey) and have come away with 25 goals in those chances. In relation to their scoring capabilities, the Florida Panthers have racked up 128 goals (17th in hockey) for the year and have given up 133. Florida has taken 1,233 shots and has a shooting percentage of 10.4%. For the current season, they have racked up 47 points and their points percentage is sitting at .560. The Panthers so far have had 1,112 shots tried against them and have a save percentage of .880. Florida has 157 power play opportunities and they have scored 28 goals out of those advantages, giving them a rate of 17.83%.

The man protecting the goal in this game is Sergei Bobrovsky. Bobrovsky has participated in 783 games during his professional hockey career. He has an overall record of 446-254-58 and he started in 769 games. Opponents have been able to score 1,949 goals versus Bobrovsky in his pro career and his goals against average is 2.53. Bobrovsky has had 22,496 shots against him and has amassed 20,547 saves. His save percentage currently is at .913 for his 40,033 mins between the pipes. In his professional hockey career, Bobrovsky has earned 445 quality starts and his rate for quality starts is .579.

In their last contest, Montreal went up against the Stars in a game where the Canadiens notched a victory by a final of 4-3. The Canadiens converted 4 goals out of the 29 shots on goal they tried. They had 5 power play chances in this outing and earned 1 out of those attempts.

Montreal has put up 1,081 shots (27th in hockey) and has earned a shooting percentage of 12.86%, while allowing their opponents 1,133 shots. They have recorded a penalty kill rate of 77.61% on the other teams 134 power play tries, and their save percentage currently sits at 87.9%. They have a total of 122 power play opportunities and they have a power play rate of 23.77%. The Canadiens have racked up 110 goals at even strength and 29 goals (9th in the NHL) while on the power play. They have granted a total of 137 goals to be scored by way of 107 goals at even strength and 30 goals while they had less men on the ice. On the season, the Montreal Canadiens have earned a total of 139 goals, 52 points, as well as a points percentage of .619.

On the other side of the ice you will find Sam Montembeault in goal. He has tallied 5,822 saves out of 6,493 shots taken against him, giving him a save percentage of .897. Montembeault holds a lifetime record of 87-90-29 and has participated in 223 contests. He got the starting nod in 203 games and has been on the ice for 10,957 mins. Montembeault's quality start rate sits at 51.7% and he has 105 quality starts in his career. His opposition is averaging 3.31 goals per contest and he has surrendered 671 goals overall.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh's Pick: Take Montreal

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