The middle peasants of the East will play on their court against one of the worst teams in the Western Conference. Both teams will have less than a day to prepare for the game. Will St. Louis be able to break the series of failures and give battle to the Canadian club, which is one step away from the playoff zone?
▪️ Montreal doesn’t let its fans get bored
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If you want to see spectacular hockey with an abundance of dangerous moments and accurate shots, then feel free to watch the Canadiens’ home matches. At least 6 goals were scored in 10 of the last 13 matches of the Canadian team on its ice. A couple of weeks ago, “Montreal” and “Washington” put on a real performance, which ended with the victory of the guests with a score of 8:4. Defensively, Martin Saint-Louis’ team is not doing well: they already have 94 goals under their belt. Only two clubs in the East conceded more. Another weak point of the team is the number of expected goals. According to this indicator, Montreal ranks only 26th in the league – 2.8.
Montreal’s estimated line-up: Montembeault (Dobeche) – Matheson, Dobson – Caufield, Suzuki, Bolduc
Full application: defenders – Struble, Hutson, A. Dzhekai, Currier; forwards – Slafkovski, Kapanen, Demidov, Texier, Evans, Anderson, Davidson, Veleno, Gallagher
Will not play: Layne, Gule, Dak, Newhauk (all trauma)
Head coach: Martin Saint-Louis
▪️ Bluesmen are moving further away from the cup zone
“St. Louis” is also not known for its reliable defensive play. The team concedes an average of 3.2 goals per match – this is only 23rd place in the regular season. The Bluesmen lost the last two of their last three matches. First, they lost at home to Anaheim 1:4, and then away to Boston with a score of 2:5. After this meeting, however, there was an away victory over Ottawa (2:1). However, such an excellent defensive game is rather an exception for Jim Montgomery’s charges this season. His team has already dropped to 13th position in the Western Conference standings. Interestingly, St. Louis has never won outside regulation time this season.
St. Louis’ estimated lineup: Binnington (Hoffer) – Broberg, Paréjko – Schenn, Thomas, Neighbors
Full application: defenders – Tucker, Faulk, Fowler, Mailu; forwards – Holloway, Zouter, Kairu, Kaskimyaki, Dvorsky, Buchnevich, Joseph, Sundqvist, Bjugstad
Will not play: Toropchenko, Snaggerud, Walker (all injured), Thomas (doubtful)
Head coach: Jim Montgomery
▪️ Fun face-to-face meetings
These rivals demonstrate absolutely open hockey in head-to-head matches. Last season, “Montreal” won on home ice with a score of 5:2, and then “St. Louis” got revenge at home – 6:1. At least seven goals have been scored in six previous head-to-head meetings between opponents.
☑️ Forecast for the match Montreal Canadiens – St. Louis Blues: final victory for Montreal at odds of 1.70
- Main forecast: In the standings, the opponents for the upcoming match are separated by only six points in favor of the Canadian club. The Bluesmen lost in three of their previous four away matches. The last face-to-face meeting between the rivals on the Canadiens ice ended in success for the home team. Based on the statistics given and taking into account the factor of home walls, we consider it logical to choose the option with the final victory of “Montreal” for odds of 1.70. For those who like to take risks, the exact score is 5:3.
- Total forecast: The average performance of the Canadiens’ four previous home games was 7.5 goals. In the last 6 head-to-head matches of opponents, 52 goals were scored (8.7 per meeting). Considering these figures, we will stop our editors’ choice at total over (5.5) for 1.80.
- Power play goal forecast: For five matches in a row, Blues hockey players have not been able to punish their opponents for violating the rules. Only 17.9% of the team’s extra player attempts this season result in a goal – 20th in the league. Therefore, we suggest choosing the option St. Louis’ individual total goals for the majority are lower (0.5).
