Albert
·
3d
My Prediction
Montréal Canadiens by 2Well, isn't this a golden biscuit of a match up! The Carolina Hurricanes pay a visit to the Montréal Canadiens for what certainly looks like a thrilling game. And the Hurricane's Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov, sharing 1600 saves between them this season, will be keen to keep their nets clean. The Canadiens will need their goaltenders Sam Montembeault and Jakub Dobes to step up; they’ve combined for almost 1900 saves this season, impressive to say the least.
Let’s flip over to the top showmen from each team. For Carolina, it’s hard to ignore the scoring brilliance of Seth Jarvis, who's netted 31 goals this season, but don't let Sebastian Aho sneak under the radar as he’s dished out an impressive 44 assists. Slap that with the contributions of Jackson Blake and Brent Burns, and it's a no-brainer that Carolina's got a few triggermen.
Montréal isn't exactly without aces up their sleeves. Nick Suzuki has been on a tear with 28 goals and 57 assists this season. Then we've got Brendan Gallagher and Christian Dvorak; despite their negative plus/minus rating, their grit and determination shouldn't be overlooked. And let’s not forget Mr. Overtime himself, Cole Caufield, with his mind-boggling 36 goals.
Past match-ups have painted a bit of a topsy-turvy picture; one team stomps one day, the next day it's the other. If we consider their regular season records, it seems the Hurricanes have had the slightly upper hand with 47 wins compared to the Canadiens' 39.
In terms of recent form, it's a bit of a coin toss. The Hurricanes are coming off a nasty jukebox of results, while the Canadiens' inconsistency's as unpredictable as a squirrel at a nut convention.
Now, where does that leave us for the prediction? Well, let's just say that my crystal ball seems to favor the team that's showing a bit more consistency lately:
Albert’s Prediction: Montréal Canadiens by 2