The Pittsburgh Penguins (12-14-4) travel to face off against the Montreal Canadiens (11-14-3) on Thursday, December 12th. This game will be played at Bell Centre in Montreal and televised on ESPN+. The Penguins are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Canadiens are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Penguins. Puck drop is set for 7:00 ET.

Penguins vs Canadiens

The Pittsburgh Penguins Are Coming Off A Win

The Penguins improved to 12-14-4 with a 3-1 win over the Canadiens. Pittsburgh, favored by -1.5 goals, covered the puck line. The total was set at 6.5 goals, but the combined score of 4 fell short of that mark.

Sidney Crosby led the way with two goals, while Blake Lizotte added an empty-netter to seal the victory. The Penguins kept the Canadiens scoreless until the third period.

The Montreal Canadiens Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Montreal’s 3-1 loss to the Penguins dropped them to 11-14-3 this season. The Canadiens entered the game as underdogs on the puck line, and the total was set at 6.5 goals, with the combined score of 4 goals falling short of that mark.

After falling behind 2-0, Christian Dvorak got the Canadiens on the board in the third period, but the Penguins sealed the win with an empty-net goal. Montreal’s defense struggled with giveaways, committing 20 in the game.

Pittsburgh Offense Breakdown

Sidney Crosby led the way for the Penguins, scoring twice on three shots, including his 4th and 5th goals of the season. Blake Lizotte added his 2nd goal, finding the net on his only shot, with his goal coming on an empty net.

The Penguins took 24 shots on goal and scored once on the power play. They had 14 giveaways in the game.

Canadiens Offense Breakdown

Montreal’s offense struggled in their 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh, with Christian Dvorak scoring his first goal of the season at 14:28 in the third period. The Canadiens took 26 shots on goal but were unable to convert on any of their 20 giveaways.

Emil Heineman picked up his first assist of the season, while Juraj Slafkovsky added his seventh assist on Dvorak’s goal. Montreal failed to score on the power play.

Pittsburgh Team Defense

Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves with a 96.2% save percentage, helping the Penguins secure a 3-1 win over the Canadiens. Pittsburgh’s defense also contributed 5 takeaways and 19 hits. The only goal they allowed came at 5:32 into the 3rd period.

Montreal Team Defense

Defensively, the Canadiens will look to bounce back after allowing three goals to the Penguins. Two of those came from Sidney Crosby, and the third was an empty-netter with just 45 seconds left in the 3rd period. Goalie Sam Montembeault made 21 saves with a 91.3% save percentage, while the defense recorded 4 takeaways and 28 hits.

Penguins vs Canadiens Trends

• Across the Penguins last three road games, the team averaged 2 goals per game while allowing 3. Their record vs the puck line in these contests was 1-2, while going 1-2 straight-up.
• In their last five home games, Montreal has averaged 2 goals per game while allowing 2. The team’s record in this stretch was 3-2 while going 3-2 vs. the spread.
• In their last five games as the betting underdog, the Canadiens have a straight up record of 2-3 and an puck line mark of 3-2.
• As the betting favorite, the Penguins have an puck line mark of just 4-6 in their last ten games. Pittsburgh posted a straight up mark of 7-3 in these matchups.

Penguins vs Canadiens Prediction

For a moneyline pick, I’m taking the Canadiens to pick up on a win over the Penguins at home. With the moneyline sitting at -104, I’ll be locking in a bet on the Canadiens straight-up.

Our projections have the Canadiens pulling out a win as the underdog. But if you’re not as bullish as we are on the Canadiens, we’d recommend at least getting a bet down on them to cover the puck line.

With an over/under line sitting at 6.5 goals, we like this game to remain below that mark and recommend getting a bet down on the under.

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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.