The Washington Capitals (23-21-8) travel to face off against the Montreal Canadiens (22-24-8) on Saturday, February 17th. 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

Washington comes into this game with a record of 23-21-8, which puts them in 12th place in the Eastern Conference. In the Metropolitan Division, they are in 7th place. On the road, the Capitals are 10-12-3 this season.

In their last ten games, the Capitals have gone just 2-8, and they have lost four straight games. Over their last five games, Washington has a record of 1-4. So far this season, the Capitals have been the favorite in 15 of their 52 games, and they have gone 11-2-2 in those games.

Washington enters this game with a puck line record of 23-29 on the season, including a mark of 11-14 on the road. So far, the Capitals have 10 wins by multiple goals and 13 wins by just one goal.

Over their last ten games, the Capitals have gone 4-6 against the puck line, and their average scoring margin as the favorite is 0.7 goals per game. Overall, Washington has been the underdog in 37 games this year and has a puck line record of 19-18 in those contests.

After suffering a 6-3 loss at home to the Avalanche, the Capitals are looking to bounce back today. The Capitals scored two goals in the first period against the Avalanche and found the net one time in the 3rd period. Washington’s one power-play goals contributed to their total of 3 goals. Their offensive performance came with 27 shots on goal and eight giveaways.

Entering the game as the underdog, Washington not only suffered a straight-up loss but also failed to cover the puck line. With a combined total of 9 goals, the teams exceeded the over/under line of 6 goals set for the game.

The Montreal Canadiens Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

At 52 points, the Canadiens are in 13th place in the Eastern Conference and 6th in the Atlantic Division. In the Eastern Conference, they have gone 12-17 and 4-11 against Atlantic Division opponents. Over their last ten games, Montreal has gone 3-7, and they have lost three straight games as the underdog.

So far this season, the Canadiens are 22-24-8 overall, including an 11-14-3 record at home. When playing as the underdog, Montreal has gone 18-23-8 and 2-3 over their last five games.

Montreal comes into the game with an average scoring differential of -.7 goals per game and a puck line record of 33-21. In their 49 games as the underdog, the Canadiens have an overall puck line record of 32-17.

So far this season, Montreal has lost 17 games by more than one goal compared to 15 losses by a single goal. In their last ten home games, the Canadiens have gone 6-4 against the puck line.

After suffering a 7-4 loss on the road to the Rangers, the Canadiens are looking to bounce back today. In every single period, the Canadiens’ offense scored a goal against the Rangers. Of Montreal’s four goals, one were scored while in power play situations. Their game ended with 35 shots on goal and six giveaways.

Entering the game as the underdog, Montreal not only suffered a straight-up loss but also failed to cover the puck line. The teams surpassed the over/under line, which was set at 6 goals, with a combined total of 11 goals.

Washington Offense Breakdown

For their offensive performance, the Capitals come in averaging 2.4 goals per game this season, which is 30th in the NHL. In the category of shots on goal per game, they are 29th in the league. In terms of the Capitals’ offense during power plays, they are 31st in power play goals and 32nd in shorthanded goals.

This season, the Capitals’ have an over/under record of 21-29-2. Throughout the season, they have played 28 games that did not exceed the 6 over/under line. On average, their games are averaging 5.6 goals per game.

Canadiens Offense Breakdown

The Canadiens come into the game scoring an average of 2.8 goals per game, putting them 26th in the NHL. Regarding shots targeted at the goal per game, they are 27th in the league. This season, the Canadiens are 5-4 when getting more shots on goal than their opponents. And in games with fewer shots on goal, they have a 17-19 record.

The Canadiens’ over/under record this season is 28-25-1. For the season, they have had 28 games that surpassed this game’s over/under line of 6. Overall, their games are averaging6.4 goals per game.

Washington Team Defense

In terms of defense, the Capitals head into the game ranked 20th in goals allowed. On average, opponents are taking 30.5 shots per game against Washington. So far, they are 10th in shutouts, achieving 4 shutouts.

Montreal Team Defense

The Canadiens defense is currently 3rd in goals allowed. Opponents are averaging 33.6 shots per game against Montreal. In terms of shutouts, they come into the game ranked 27th with 1 shutouts.

Capitals vs Canadiens Trends

• Although Washington has a straight up record of 2-8 in their last ten road games, they have not held up as well vs the puck line going 4-6. The team averaged 2 goals per game in these games.
• In their last ten games at home, the Canadiens have a straight up record of 4-6 while going 6-4 vs the spread. The team’s offense averaged 2 goals per game in these contests.
• Spanning across their last five games as the betting underdog, the Canadiens have gone 3-2 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 1-4.
• Against the spread, the Capitals have put together of 2-3 in their last five games as the betting favorite. In these same games, they went 3-2 straight up.

Capitals vs Canadiens Prediction

For a moneyline bet, I’m backing the Canadiens to secure a victory over the Capitals at home. With the moneyline currently set at -103, I’m locking in my bet on the Canadiens straight-up.

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.

When considering the over/under line, which is currently at 6 goals, we believe that this game will go over that threshold, and we recommend wagering 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.