Montreal Canadiens vs Minnesota Wild Prediction and Betting Odds April 19
Montreal Canadiens vs Minnesota Wild Betting Preview
WagerTalk NHL handicapper Kevin Dolan offers his Montreal Canadiens vs Minnesota Wild betting preview for Tuesday, April 19. Minnesota won the first meeting between these teams 8-2 earlier this season. Can Montreal flip the script on their home ice tonight?
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| Tuesday, April 19 | NHL Betting Notes, Courtesy of Caesars |
|---|---|
| Moneyline: | Minnesota Wild -260 at Montreal Canadiens +230 |
| Puckline: | Wild -1.5 (-105) / Canadiens +1.5 (-115) |
| Total: | 6.5 Goals (Over -105 / Under -115) |
| Game Time: | 7:05pm ET / 4:05pm PT |
| Arena: | Bell Centre in Montreal |
| TV: | ESPN+ |
Montreal Canadiens vs Minnesota Wild Analysis
The Minnesota Wild take the trip up to Canada on Tuesday night after securing a playoff spot on Sunday with a 5-4 OT win against San Jose.
That’s the ninth time over the past ten seasons that the Wild have made the playoffs and they’ll face a team in Montreal later tonight that know all about the highs and lows of postseason hockey.
After an amazing 2020/21 season in which the Canadiens not only made the playoffs but also came back from 3-1 down against Toronto in the first round, swept Winnipeg in the second round, took care of Vegas in six games in the semi-finals, only to fall short against eventual winners Tampa Bay in the Stanley Cup Finals, the Canadiens have went from that unbelievable run less than a year ago to today owning the Eastern Conferences worst overall record in 2021/22.
Minnesota’s Underrated Defense
While on the surface, the Minnesota Wild’s 3.08 goals against per game average looks fairly mediocre this season, good for 18th in the league overall, dig a bit under the hood and the Wild are posting some really impressive numbers on defense this year.
The Wild rank No. 2 in the league this season on defensive expected goals against, behind only the Boston Bruins, in terms of the number of overall quality chances they’ve given up to opponents this season and also rank No. 1 (by a fairly wide margin too) in overall opponent high danger scoring chances allowed this season as well.
Canadiens’ Recent Scoreboard Woes
While a recent 0-5 record is never anything to be proud of at the best of times in hockey, it’s been further aggravated by the manner in which those losses came against the Canadiens also.
Montreal has been outscored 23-9 over their last five defeats and their 3.86 goals against per game average is the worst in the league.
Saturday’s seven goals allowed over just two periods of hockey against the Washington Capitals might just be the catalyst Montreal needs however as that’s the most number of goals the Canadiens have allowed over two periods all season.
Montreal Canadiens vs Minnesota Wild Prediction
Despite all the really poor stats emanating from the Montreal Canadiens side of the play ahead of this game, we actually expect them to be semi-competitive on Tuesday night at home against this Minnesota Wild team.
Home form has actually been somewhat of a bright spot for the Canadiens of late, especially since March 1st, as they’ve beaten the Senators and Leafs at home over that stretch, suffered OT losses against the Stars and Bruins respectively also and pushed the Panthers all the way in a 4-3 loss back on March 24th as well.
The home team has also won four of the last five meetings between these two sides as well so with the Wild exhaling slightly after making the playoffs at the weekend and the Canadiens coming in off their worst two periods of hockey all season, we like the home side here on the puckline to remain competitive in this one and get the cover.
Take the Montreal Canadiens +1.5 as your play for Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild.
NHL Betting Guide
Thanks to the ever-expanding sports betting industry, there are now a variety of ways to attack the betting market outside of the traditional point spreads, moneylines and totals. Few sports have seen an increase of betting popularity like hockey, and we now have several different ways to wager on the NHL and international leagues. Check out our NHL Betting Guide with helpful terms and tips for novice bettors.
Puck Time | NHL Predictions for April 19
Join Carmine Bianco, Andrew McInnis and Don Buster for Tuesday’s edition of Puck Time as our panel of professional hockey handicappers break down tonight’s NHL betting card. St Louis was on Andrew’s “buy” list on Monday, while Nashville was on the “sell” list. Both teams are in action on Tuesday night. Join the Puck Time crew every week day at 11am ET / 8am PT as we discuss the NHL betting slate from a variety of handicapping angles.
WagerTalk Live Odds Screen
WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NHL moneylines, puck lines and betting percentages for all of Tuesday’s games, including this Montreal Canadiens vs Minnesota Wild showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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Meet the Author
‘The sharpest sports mind in Ireland’ is how one prominent newspaper dubbed Kevin Dolan after he became the first foreigner ever to win the World Series of Handicapping tournament back in 2015. “The Irishman” made his start wagering on GAA, football, soccer and boxing, all to immense success. Since becoming a professional bettor, he has since lit up the sports betting scene in the U.S. and abroad, winning two handicapping awards and writing a best-selling book on sports handicapping named ‘The Complete Guide to Sports Betting’.
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