The Montreal Canadiens look to remain in the hunt for a wild card in the NHL’s Eastern Conference when they return home on Saturday to battle the resurgent Chicago Blackhawks as -160 favourites on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Montreal is coming off a 2-1 loss to the New York Islanders on Thursday, and has now fallen to defeat in 10 of 16 contests ahead of Saturday night’s game at the Bell Centre.
The Canadiens’ struggles have come during a 15-game stretch that has featured 11 games on the road. The team posted wins in just three of those road contests, but has fared far better on home ice, posting wins in seven of 10, while holding opponents to two or fewer goals on five occasions.
However, it is the Canadiens’ attack that has been silent in recent outings, with the team’s shooters potting just two goals per game over their last six contests, while surrendering almost 3.7 goals per game during that same stretch.
Conversely, the Blackhawks arrive in Montreal amid their strongest stretch of the season, capped by a 5-4 win in Toronto as +200 underdogs on Wednesday. Chicago is set as a +130 underdog for Saturday despite posting wins in their past four, as well as riding a four-game win streak in road dates with the Canadiens, according to the OddsShark NHL Database.
Elsewhere on the Saturday NHL odds, the Winnipeg Jets hope to pad their lead atop the Central Division standings as they host the Calgary Flames as -130 home favourites at sports betting sites.
The Edmonton Oilers open a three-game road trip with a visit to the desert, taking on the red-hot Arizona Coyotes as +115 underdogs, while the Battle of Ontario is rekindled, with the Toronto Maple Leafs traveling to the nation’s capital to face the last-place Ottawa Senators as strong -230 favourites.
The Jets close out a three-game homestand against Calgary after escaping with a narrow 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins as a -125 wager on Thursday night. However, the Jets have yet to put their recent struggles behind them after falling to defeat in 11 of 18 overall, and are also winless in a pair of meetings with the Flames this season, including a 4-1 loss in Winnipeg as -150 chalk on December 27.
The Senators lag as lengthy +190 underdogs for Saturday’s date with the Maple Leafs despite a strong showing in Thursday’s 2-0 win over St. Louis as a +219 bet. Ottawa has posted consecutive wins just once during a dismal 5-17-1 run that included a 5-4 loss in Toronto on February 6.
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