Face-off: 1900 ET, 21/04/2022
Arena: Centre Bell
Montreal and Philadelphia have both gone six games without a win, so a tight tussle is expected as each team seeks to stop the rot.
The Canadiens have come out on top in two previous head-to-head meetings this term, but only via a December shootout and in overtime last month.
We reckon 4.2 for another draw after 60 minutes of play is a value bet for our Montreal Canadiens vs Philadelphia Flyers predictions.
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Montreal Canadiens Odds
Montreal enjoyed a honeymoon period under Martin St Louis but have struggled down the stretch due to a lack of strength in depth.
Michael Pezzetta is currently suspended and fellow forward Paul Byron went off in the first period of Tuesday’s 2-0 loss to Minnesota with a lower-body injury.
Rafael Harvey-Pinard has been recalled from the AHL’s Laval Rocket and should feature, having scored on his NHL bow at Tampa Bay towards the end of December.
“I’m really excited to be here,” said the 23-year-old, who has 51 points in 64 games with Laval. “It’ll be another great experience.
“I’m going to make the most of it. I’ll give everything I have to show the organisation what I can do.”
This will be his home debut and he added: “It’s very special. I’m really looking forward to it.
“I’ve been watching the Canadiens play at the Bell Centre since I was a kid. It’s such a noisy rink. I can’t wait to experience that atmosphere.”
Montreal have been struggling up front, so any energy injected by Harvey-Pinard will be welcome.
Looking at the NHL odds for this game, we’re going with the Habs to shade a 3-2 success at 11.0, as they did here just after Christmas.
Philadelphia Flyers Odds
We enjoyed a trio of successful selections in our match preview when Philadelphia were beaten 5-2 at Toronto last time out.
James van Riemsdyk and Ronnie Attard netted for the Flyers, while Martin Jones made 24 saves in a match where they were game, but outgunned.
“I thought we battled hard,” Jones said. “They’re a talented team and they finished well on some plays.
“Overall, I thought the effort was pretty good, but some bad breakdowns led to goals and that was the difference.”
Defenseman Kevin Connauton left in the third period with a lower-body injury and is set to be sidelined here.
Philadelphia often get off to a solid start but are 68-99 down in the second period and 62-97 behind in the third.
Montreal’s best section is the middle one, with 83 goals scored, compared to 48 in P1 and 60 in P3.
Let’s finish off our NHL predictions by taking 2.45 for the Canadiens to win the second stanza.
Additional stats
Last result:
MONTREAL 0-2 Minnesota
Toronto 5-2 PHILADELPHIA
Season head-to-head: Philadelphia 3-4 Montreal, Montreal 3-2 Philadelphia
