by Chuck Sommers
Tuesday, Jan 24, 2023
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Bell Centre, Montreal, QE
Where to watch: RDS, TSN2, NESN
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Bruins -350, Canadiens +290
FanDuel: Bruins -335, Canadiens +265
BetMGM: Bruins -350, Canadiens +260
Caesars: Bruins -370, Canadiens +285
Season record
Bruins: 37-5-4
Canadiens: 20-24-3
We’ve hit the halfway mark in the NHL season. Yes, you read that right. We’re really hit that halfway mark that quickly. If you blinked, you probably missed a lot of good things happen in the hockey world. And with football about to be out of the way, look for our champion handicappers to get back on the rink. Oskeim Sports is on a 13-5-0 run in the NHL over the last 30 days, as is Will Rogers. Sean Murphy has also cashed in with a 16-10-0 run in the last month. Make sure you’re following our champion handicappers at bigal.com to get on this winning action!
Bruins - Canadiens preview, prediction and analysis
Recent results
Bruins: won 4-0 vs. Sharks
Canadiens: won 3-2 (OT) vs. Toronto
The Boston Bruins will be playing the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, January 24 in Montreal.
The Boston Bruins won against the San Jose Sharks Sunday, January 22 in Boston, Massachusetts with a score of 4-0. The Boston Bruins currently rank 1st in the Atlantic Division. The Boston Bruins extended their winning streak against the San Jose Sharks to 11 games with their win on Sunday. The Sharks have not defeated the Bruins since March 15, 2016.
"It's a lot of fun to show up for work every night, and really feel like you can win every night," Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy said. "I think everybody just brings out the best in each other. It's something you just want to savor, right? Because it's really special what we got going here."
Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman combined for an 18-save shutout for Boston. Ullmark made 17 saves in 57:32. Swayman entered at 8:01 of the third period after Ullmark lost a skate blade and made one save in 2:28.
"I have no clue [how the blade came out]," Ullmark said. "I had some skate issues before the game, but we took care of that. … I was just happy they didn't shoot [before the change]."
Hampus Lindholm and McAvoy each had a goal and an assist. Brad Marchand had two assists.
"I thought our best defense was our [offensive] zone possession game," Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. "Our defensemen kept a lot of pucks alive being really aggressive, and all I know is it's great to have an elite [defensive] core like we do led by Lindholm and McAvoy -- who scored two unbelievable goals to get us going -- and I thought they led us tonight with our intensity and puck possession game."
The Bruins continue destroying worlds through the first half of the season. It's quite amazing, really, to see. Boston has won nine of the last 10 against the money line with that lone loss coming to Seattle on Jan. 12. Since then, the Bruins have scored at least 3 goals in every game and have hit at least four in five of them. They remain a juggernaut.
The Montreal Canadiens won against the Toronto Maple Leafs last Saturday, January 21 in Montreal with a score of 3-2 in overtime. The Montreal Canadiens currently rank 7th in the Atlantic Division. Rem Pitlick scored 2:14 into overtime. Pitlick skated down the left wing after taking a pass from Mike Hoffman and shot short side over Ilya Samsonov's right shoulder.
"That was definitely a really fun one to be a part of," Pitlick said. "It was a great pass by 'Hoff' because he saw me coming with speed and he kind of was turning into a blind spot, if I remember correctly. So it was really nice to have the building go off like that, a Saturday night against Toronto. It was pretty cool."
Josh Anderson and Rafael Harvey-Pinard scored, and Sam Montembeault made 36 saves for the Canadiens.
"I just thought there was no quit out of our team," Anderson said. "Especially when you're down 2-0 with a team like that that's got a lot of offensive power. We just stuck together in this locker room and came together and competed."
Anderson was playing on the top line in place of Cole Caufield, who will have surgery on his right shoulder and be out for the rest of the season.
"I think it just shows that it doesn't matter who is in the lineup, if we play the game we want and everybody competes, it just shows that we can compete with any team," Montembeault said.
The Habs' progression this season has been fun to watch. They can lay an egg like they did against Florida on Thursday, but come right back and win against Toronto like water is wet. They might still be a year or two away, but Martin St. Louis has that group going in the right direction.
Prediction
The Bruins are red-hot and they've dominated in Montreal, winning eight of the last nine meetings at Bell Centre. The favorite has also cashed in 20 of the last 28 meetings, so all signs point to Boston getting another win here. Bruins 4, Canadiens 2
The Boston Bruins will be playing the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, January 24 in Montreal.
The Boston Bruins won against the San Jose Sharks Sunday, January 22 in Boston, Massachusetts with a score of 4-0. The Boston Bruins currently rank 1st in the Atlantic Division. The Boston Bruins extended their winning streak against the San Jose Sharks to 11 games with their win on Sunday. The Sharks have not defeated the Bruins since March 15, 2016.
"It's a lot of fun to show up for work every night, and really feel like you can win every night," Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy said. "I think everybody just brings out the best in each other. It's something you just want to savor, right? Because it's really special what we got going here."
Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman combined for an 18-save shutout for Boston. Ullmark made 17 saves in 57:32. Swayman entered at 8:01 of the third period after Ullmark lost a skate blade and made one save in 2:28.
"I have no clue [how the blade came out]," Ullmark said. "I had some skate issues before the game, but we took care of that. … I was just happy they didn't shoot [before the change]."
Hampus Lindholm and McAvoy each had a goal and an assist. Brad Marchand had two assists.
"I thought our best defense was our [offensive] zone possession game," Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. "Our defensemen kept a lot of pucks alive being really aggressive, and all I know is it's great to have an elite [defensive] core like we do led by Lindholm and McAvoy -- who scored two unbelievable goals to get us going -- and I thought they led us tonight with our intensity and puck possession game."
The Bruins continue destroying worlds through the first half of the season. It's quite amazing, really, to see. Boston has won nine of the last 10 against the money line with that lone loss coming to Seattle on Jan. 12. Since then, the Bruins have scored at least 3 goals in every game and have hit at least four in five of them. They remain a juggernaut.
The Montreal Canadiens won against the Toronto Maple Leafs last Saturday, January 21 in Montreal with a score of 3-2 in overtime. The Montreal Canadiens currently rank 7th in the Atlantic Division. Rem Pitlick scored 2:14 into overtime. Pitlick skated down the left wing after taking a pass from Mike Hoffman and shot short side over Ilya Samsonov's right shoulder.
"That was definitely a really fun one to be a part of," Pitlick said. "It was a great pass by 'Hoff' because he saw me coming with speed and he kind of was turning into a blind spot, if I remember correctly. So it was really nice to have the building go off like that, a Saturday night against Toronto. It was pretty cool."
Josh Anderson and Rafael Harvey-Pinard scored, and Sam Montembeault made 36 saves for the Canadiens.
"I just thought there was no quit out of our team," Anderson said. "Especially when you're down 2-0 with a team like that that's got a lot of offensive power. We just stuck together in this locker room and came together and competed."
Anderson was playing on the top line in place of Cole Caufield, who will have surgery on his right shoulder and be out for the rest of the season.
"I think it just shows that it doesn't matter who is in the lineup, if we play the game we want and everybody competes, it just shows that we can compete with any team," Montembeault said.
The Habs' progression this season has been fun to watch. They can lay an egg like they did against Florida on Thursday, but come right back and win against Toronto like water is wet. They might still be a year or two away, but Martin St. Louis has that group going in the right direction.
Prediction
The Bruins are red-hot and they've dominated in Montreal, winning eight of the last nine meetings at Bell Centre. The favorite has also cashed in 20 of the last 28 meetings, so all signs point to Boston getting another win here. Bruins 4, Canadiens 2
Betting trends
Bruins are 12-2 off a home win by 2 goals or more this season.
Bruins are 18-3 off a home win this season.
Bruins are 14-2 after allowing 2 goals or less in 2 straight games this season.
Canadiens are 45-59 against division opponents the last 3 seasons.
Bruins are 12-2 off a home win by 2 goals or more this season.
Bruins are 18-3 off a home win this season.
Bruins are 14-2 after allowing 2 goals or less in 2 straight games this season.
Canadiens are 45-59 against division opponents the last 3 seasons.
Projected lines
Bruins:
Brad Marchand -- Patrice Bergeron -- Craig Smith
Pavel Zacha -- David Krejci -- David Pastrnak
Taylor Hall -- Charlie Coyle -- Trent Frederic
Nick Foligno -- Joona Koppanen -- A.J. Greer
Matt Grzelcyk -- Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm -- Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort -- Connor Clifton
Linus Ullmark
Brad Marchand -- Patrice Bergeron -- Craig Smith
Pavel Zacha -- David Krejci -- David Pastrnak
Taylor Hall -- Charlie Coyle -- Trent Frederic
Nick Foligno -- Joona Koppanen -- A.J. Greer
Matt Grzelcyk -- Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm -- Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort -- Connor Clifton
Linus Ullmark
Canadiens:
Rem Pitlick -- Nick Suzuki -- Josh Anderson
Mike Hoffman -- Kirby Dach -- Evgenii Dadonov
Michael Pezzetta -- Christian Dvorak -- Jesse Ylonen
Alex Belzile -- Rafael Harvey-Pinard
Jordan Harris -- David Savard
Joel Edmundson -- Justin Barron
Mike Matheson -- Johnathan Kovacevic
Arber Xhekaj
Sam Montembeault
Rem Pitlick -- Nick Suzuki -- Josh Anderson
Mike Hoffman -- Kirby Dach -- Evgenii Dadonov
Michael Pezzetta -- Christian Dvorak -- Jesse Ylonen
Alex Belzile -- Rafael Harvey-Pinard
Jordan Harris -- David Savard
Joel Edmundson -- Justin Barron
Mike Matheson -- Johnathan Kovacevic
Arber Xhekaj
Sam Montembeault
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
