The Montreal Canadiens will have to shake off the rust Wednesday night as they take on the Boston Bruins after a 10-day hiatus. It comes at a bad time for the Habs as the Bruins are rolling with convincing back-to-back wins over the Lightning and Capitals.
Where is the value in the Bruins when they're paying -200 to win in regulation? Can the Canadiens play any worse than they have over the first three months of the season? Find out in our best free NHL betting picks and predictions for the Canadiens vs. Bruins.
Canadiens vs Bruins odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
The Bruins opened as -330 moneyline favorites but have been bet down even further to -370. The total sits at 6. Boston closed as -244 home favorites back in November but Montreal was much healthier then.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until puck drop and be sure to check out the full NHL odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Canadiens vs Bruins predictions
- Prediction: Bruins -1.5 (-147)
- Prediction: Bruins team total Over 4.5 (+150)
- Best bet: Bruins first period -0.5 (+100)
Predictions made on 1/12/2022 at 12:20 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Canadiens vs Bruins game info
• Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Date: Wednesday, January 12, 2022
• Puck drop: 7:00 p.m. ET
• TV: TNT, Sportsnet
Canadiens vs Bruins betting preview
Injuries
Canadiens: Josh Anderson F (Out), Brendan Gallagher F (Out), Joel Edmundson D (Out), Joel Armia F (Questionable), Paul Byron F (Out), Tyler Toffoli F (Out), Carey Price G (Out), Alexander Romanov D (Questionable), Jake Evans F (Questionable), Brandon Baddock F (Questionable), Cayden Primeau G (Questionable).
Bruins: Jake DeBrusk F (Out), Nick Foligno F (Questionable), Trent Frederic F (Questionable).
Find our latest NHL injury reports.
Canadiens vs Bruins head-to-head record (since 2018)
Canadiens: 3-10 SU, 24 goals for.
Bruins: 10-3 SU, 44 goals for.
Betting trend to know
The Canadiens are 4-18 SU in their last 22 games as a road underdog. Find more NHL betting trends for Canadiens vs. Bruins.
Canadiens vs Bruins picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Moneyline/Puck line analysis
It’s been over 10 days since the Montreal Canadiens lost 5-2 to the Florida Panthers thanks to COVID and scheduling. It’s not like the team was running hot before the layover as Montreal has arguably been the worst team in hockey and is 1-10 SU in its last 11, scoring a league-worst 2.00 goals per over that stretch. But could things possibly get worse for East’s last-place team?
Not only are the Canadiens coming back after a long break, but they’ll also be shorthanded with a combination of injuries and COVID issues hitting head coach Dominique Ducharme’s group. Wednesday’s possible absences are extensive with three of the team’s top D-men and an incredible eight of the team’s top 12 forwards likely out. Montreal was already struggling at full strength and will basically be sporting an AHL lineup Wednesday at TD Garden.
To make matters worse for the visitors, the Bruins are in great form and coming off one of their best wins of the season over the Capitals where they scored six unanswered goals. That was after they took down the Lightning two days prior in a decisive 5-2 victory. Overall, Boston is 5-1 SU since the restart.
The secret to Boston’s success could be the Habs' downfall. Bruins Goalie Linus Ullmark (confirmed starter) has won four straight starts and is 8-2 SU in his last 10 games. He hasn’t allowed more than three goals in 10 starts and owns a 2.31 GAA and .926 SV% over that stretch. Ullmark has been supported by an offense that is humming with a 4.67 goals-per-game mark since the restart, which is the fourth-best rate in hockey.
The Bruins power play scored twice in their win over the Caps and splitting up the Perfection Line has resulted in some balanced offensive production from the top two lines. This is the best stretch of hockey Boston has played this season and the team has a massive advantage against an inferior opponent tonight, which the line movement supports.
As the Canucks showed us last night, it’s not easy to jump back into the schedule. And with the laundry list of injuries Montreal is dealing with, we think the Bruins roll tonight. We’re jumping on the puck line at -147 but the -2.5 super puck line at +125 is also an option here.
Prediction: Bruins -1.5 (-147)
Over/Under analysis
The Bruins have been scoring at one of the highest rates in hockey since Christmas and haven’t been solely reliant on the power play or their No. 1 line to do it. But with Montreal struggling to roster a competitive team, and scoring 5-on-5 goals at the league’s second-worst rate, can we trust the visitors to chip in?
In short, not really. Ullmark has played exceptionally of late while a healthier Montreal team scored two or fewer goals in eight of their last 11 games. Boston ranks first in the league in xGoals against at 5-on-5 and high-danger shots against. Montreal won’t see many quality chances and with its extended break, we doubt this replacement-level team does much with the chances they do get.
The trickier part in the total handicap is what the Boston offense can do. The Bruins scored five goals on 41 shots in the last meeting back in mid-November and face a Montreal team that allows the fourth-most shots per game and the fifth-most high-danger shots. The Canadiens penalty kill also sits in the Bottom 5 of the league and with some cobwebs plus a handful of new skaters in the lineup, the visitors could find themselves a man down multiple times Wednesday.
In net, Boston will likely see Jake Allen. Allen has been put in a tough spot this season with Carey Price working on himself, but this is a goalie who spent two weeks on the COVID list recently and was just taken off it on Sunday. He hasn’t played since December 16 and allowed nine goals in his two starts before the break.
It might seem odd to suggest a team total of 4.5 and avoid the game total of 6, but this is one of those unusual circumstances. Montreal averages 4.00 goals against on the road and comes into tonight’s match in rough shape. We’ll take a shot at the Bruins’ team total Over 4.5 at +150.
Prediction: Bruins team total Over 4.5 (+150)
Best bet
The Vancouver Canucks went into their game last night versus the Panthers having not played for 10 days and subsequently went on to give up the game’s first two goals, which both came in the first five minutes. They went on to lose 5-2. Vancouver is a much better team than Montreal but the latter could see those same early first-period struggles as they try to get back up to game speed.
With not much value available thanks to this being an incredibly one-sided match, getting the Bruins on the first-period puck line (-0.5) at +100 is our best bet of the night. Boston is in great form and will face arguably hockey's worst roster this season.
Pick: Bruins first period -0.5 (+100)
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