The Washington Capitals (18-6-2) travel to face off against the Montreal Canadiens (10-13-3) on Saturday, December 7th. This game will be played at Bell Centre in Montreal and televised on ESPN+. Both the Capitals and Canadiens will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 ET.

Capitals vs Canadiens

The Washington Capitals Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

After a 4-2 loss to the Hurricanes, the Capitals now stand at 18-6-2 for the season. Washington was the underdog on the puck line, and the total of 6 goals matched the pre-game line.

Washington allowed the game’s first goal, but responded with two goals in the first period. However, the Hurricanes scored three unanswered goals, including an empty-netter, to secure the win.

The Montreal Canadiens Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Montreal dropped to 10-13-3 after a 3-1 loss to the Penguins. The Canadiens were underdogs on the puck line and the total was set at 6.5 goals, but the combined score of 4 fell short of that mark.

All of the scoring came from different periods, with Montreal trailing 2-0 before Christian Dvorak scored at 14:28 in the third. The Penguins sealed the game with an empty-net goal at 19:15.

Washington Offense Breakdown

Washington’s offense got on the board with Alex Ovechkin’s 7th goal of the season, a power-play strike. Brandon Duhaime followed with his 2nd goal, as the Capitals scored twice in the first period. Nic Dowd picked up his 2nd assist of the season, while Dylan Strome added his 13th assist on Ovechkin’s goal. John Carlson recorded his 7th assist.

The Capitals managed 21 shots on goal but were held scoreless after the first period. They had 15 giveaways in the game.

Canadiens Offense Breakdown

Christian Dvorak netted his first goal of the season in the Canadiens’ 3-1 loss to the Penguins. The goal came 5:32 into the third period, with Emil Heineman picking up his first assist and Juraj Slafkovsky adding his seventh assist of the season.

Montreal fired 26 shots on goal but was held scoreless through the first two periods. The Canadiens struggled with giveaways, committing 20 in the game.

Washington Team Defense

Washington’s defense allowed the first goal at 5:59 in the first period and three more after taking a 2-1 lead, including two in the second and an empty-netter at 19:51 in the third. Charlie Lindgren made 41 saves with a 93.2% save percentage, while the defense added 16 blocks and 2 takeaways.

Montreal Team Defense

Montreal’s defense will look to bounce back after giving up three goals to the Penguins. Despite 21 saves from Sam Montembeault, the Canadiens allowed the first two goals and a late empty-netter. Montembeault finished with a 91.3% save percentage, while the defense recorded 4 takeaways and 28 hits.

Capitals vs Canadiens Trends

• Across their last five road contests, Washington has been good against the puck line posting a mark of 5-0. Their overall mark in these games was 5-0, while averaging 4 goals per game.
• When looking at their past five home matchups, Montreal has an puck line record of 4-1 while averaging 2 per game. The team went 3-2 overall in these games.
• Montreal has done well both straight up and vs the puck line when favored to win the game, going 3-2 SU and 3-2 puck line in their last five games.
• Going back to their previous three games as the favorite, Washington has an puck line mark of 0-3 while going 1-2 straight up.

Capitals vs Canadiens Prediction

When it comes to a moneyline wager, I’m going with the Canadiens to defeat the Capitals while playing at home. Given the current moneyline odds at +126, I’m placing a wager on the Canadiens to win outright.

If you’re looking to get a bet down on this matchup, we foresee the Canadiens winning the underdog. However, if you’re not as confident in the Canadiens straight-up, we’d still recommend placing a bet on them to cover the puck line.

If you’re looking at the over/under line set at 6 goals, our prediction is that this game will exceed that mark, and we strongly advise placing a bet on the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.