The Montreal Canadiens (14-13-4) travel to face off against the Minnesota Wild (13-13-4) on Thursday, December 21st. This game will be played at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Puck drop is set for 8:00 ET.

Montreal Canadiens vs Minnesota Wild

The Montreal Canadiens Are Coming Off A Win

In their 31 games, the Canadiens have a 14-13-4 record this season. While playing at their home arena, they have a 7-9-2 record, and their record on the road is 7-4-2. They are currently positioned 6th in the Eastern Atlantic division and 12th in the Eastern conference. Montreal’s average scoring difference this season sits at -0.6, which has contributed to their overall puck line record of 19-12. When playing at home, they have a scoring margin of -0.8, and on the road, it is -0.3.

The Canadiens are coming off a 3-2 road win over the Jets. On the offensive front, the Canadiens failed to score in the first or third periods against the Jets, but they found the net two times in the second period. Of Montreal’s three goals, two were scored while in power play situations. Their game ended with 25 shots on goal and five giveaways.

Montreal was the underdog going into the game and picked up a win against the puck line. Combining for 5 goals, the game finished below the over/under line of 6.

The Minnesota Wild Are Coming Off A Win

For the season, the Wild currently hold an overall record of 13-13-4. On the road, Minnesota has gone 6-9-2 and they are 7-4-2 at home. Their current record places them 7th in the Western Central division and 12th in the Western conference. Minnesota’s average scoring margin this season is -0.2, leading to an overall puck line record of 17-13. At their home arena, they have a scoring margin of -0.1, while on the road, it is -0.2.

The Wild most recently took on the Bruins and secured a win with a score of 4-3. Against the Bruins, the Wild scored one goal in the first period and two times in the 3rd period. Minnesota’s one power-play goals contributed to their total of 4 goals. Their offensive performance came with 30 shots on goal and 10 giveaways.

Minnesota was the underdog going into the game and picked up a win against the puck line. The teams surpassed the over/under line, which was set at 5.5 goals, with a combined total of 7 goals.

Montreal Offense Breakdown

The Canadiens come into the game scoring an average of 2.7 goals per game, putting them 28th in the NHL. Regarding shots targeted at the goal per game, they are 24th in the league. In terms of the Canadiens’ offense during power plays, they are 19th in power play goals and 15th in shorthanded goals.

The Canadiens’ come into the game with an over/under record of 14-16-1. Over the course of last season, they had 33 games that did not surpass the 6 over/under line. The average number of goals in their games was 6.6 per game.

Minnesota Offense Breakdown

For their offensive performance, the Wild come in averaging 3 goals per game this season, which is 25th in the NHL. In the category of shots on goal per game, they are 26th in the league. So far this year, the Wild are 8-5 in games they have had more shots on goal than their opponent. They are 5-8 in games with fewer shots on goal.

This season, the over/under record for the Wild’s is 15-13-2. Over the course of the season, they have had 16 games that exceeded the over/under line of 6. On average, their games are averaging 6.4 goals per game.

Montreal Team Defense

The Canadiens’ defense comes into the game with a ranking of 30th in takeaways and an average of 5 takeaways per contest. They hold 4th place in the NHL for goals allowed, with an average of 3.2 goals given up per game.

Minnesota Team Defense

Defensively, the Wild are currently 22nd in goals allowed. On average, opponents are taking 30.7 shots per game against Minnesota. They also are 16th in shutouts, coming in with 2 shutouts.

Canadiens vs Wild Trends

• The Canadiens are 3-2 puck line in their last road games and 4-1 straight-up.
• Across their last five home contests, Minnesota has a 4-1 record vs the spread. Their overall mark in these games was 2-3, while averaging 2 goals per game.
• Going back to their previous five games as the underdog, Minnesota has an puck line mark of 4-1 while going 2-3 straight up.
• In their last three contests as the favorite, Montreal has a poor record vs the puck line going 0-3. But, they still put together a straight up mark of 3-0.

Canadiens vs Wild Prediction

If you’re considering a direct moneyline bet, the Wild is the choice to make. However, with a payout of -206, you might want to use this bet as a building block for a parlay.

My recommended pick for the puck line is to take the Canadiens to cover. Even if the Wild win straight-up, this one should be close throughout and the Canadiens should 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.