The Canadiens are hosting the Flames on Wednesday night at the Bell Centre, with puck drop set for 7:30 p.m. ET. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Montreal is a -148 home favorite on the Moneyline, and the game’s total is set at O/U 6.5 goals. Between the pipes, Dustin Wolf will start for Calgary, and Jacob Fowler will start for Montreal.
Below, I’ll provide a preview, prediction and pick for Wednesday’s tilt between the Canadiens and Flames.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Calgary Flames prediction, preview
Canadiens preview
The Canadiens enter Wednesday having gone 6-2-2 across their last 10 games, while averaging 3.6 goals per game. Lane Hutson leads the team with 14 points during this span, with Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov rounding out the top three and totaling 12 and 11 points, respectively. In fact, Montreal’s second line, comprising Slafkovsky, Demidov, and Oliver Kapanen, has been effective, generating a 61.9% goal percentage across 20 games together this season.
Montreal ranks eighth in goals for per 60, but it is a very average 5v5 team, ranking 13th in 5v5 goals for per 60, 24th in 5v5 xGoals% and 20th in 5v5 Corsi%. However, that usually means that the power play is successful, and that happens to be the case with the Canadiens. The club ranks eighth in PP% and ninth in power play goals. Montreal has dealt with goaltending inconsistencies all season, allowing the 11th-most goals against per 60, but Jacob Fowler’s last start at home featured his first career shutout. The 21-year-old ranks 25th in the NHL in goals saved above expected and 12th in SV% above expected.
Flames preview
While it was a rough start to the season for Calgary, it is 6-4-0 in its last 10 games, while averaging 3.0 goals per game. The club has dropped back-to-back games and will begin its first game of a five-game road trip in Montreal on Wednesday night. The Flames’ forward groups remain one of the more underwhelming groups in the NHL, but it has found some success from their depth roles, particularly Mikael Backlund and Blake Coleman, who have each netted five goals in the past 10 outings.
This is a tough spot for the Flames, as they rank dead last in goals per game on the road. The club also ranks fourth-to-last in PP%, which is troubling, given the firepower Montreal deploys on its power play unit. Calgary also ranks third in the NHL in penalty minutes, so Montreal may see plenty of power play opportunities. Dustin Wolf has looked a bit off this season, ranking 65th in goals saved above expected, but he has still put together strong enough games to keep the Flames in it. Devin Cooley has outplayed him this season, but he is dealing with an illness and will likely start Calgary’s second leg of a back-to-back on Thursday.
Canadiens vs. Flames pick, best bet
The Flames sport the second-worst road record in the league at 6-13-2. While the Canadiens aren’t necessarily a dominant home team, they had won three of their previous four games at the Bell Centre before their seven-game road trip that began on Dec. 21.
77% of both the handle and bets on DraftKings Sportsbook lie with the Canadiens on the Moneyline at -148, but let’s take it a step further. 15 of Montreal’s games have gone to overtime or a shootout, but that number decreases to just five when playing at home. Just eight of Calgary’s games have gone into overtime or a shootout. Give me the Canadiens to win in regulation at home at plus odds.
