by Chuck Sommers
Thursday, Feb 10, 2022
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Venue: Bell Centre, Montreal, QE
Where to watch: ESPN+
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Capitals -210, Canadiens +170
BetMGM: Capitals -225, Canadiens +180
Caesars: Capitals -222, Canadiens +180
Season record
Capitals: 25-14-9
Canadiens: 8-30-7
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Capitals - Canadiens preview and analysis
We need to pay our respects to the Montreal Canadiens.
By respects, I mean our uncontrollable laughter because how in the world can a situation turn into such tomfoolery by just existing?
Because friends, Montreal is a dumpster fire. And it has nothing to do with the players. Carey Price hasn’t played all year; Shea Weber has been on LTIR all season; so many injuries, so many goaltenders, an expected down season after an improbable Stanley Cup Final run. And how does one fix this?
By firing Dominique Ducharme.
And what’s the solution for this?
Hiring … Martin St. Louis?
Lord help us all with the understanding of what Kent Hughes is doing.
But you know what? Maybe it’s time for Montreal to just go weird. It won’t do anything with Thursday’s game against the Washington Capitals, but this was a way I think no one expected for Montreal to come out of the All-Star break, firing a coach it just gave a three-year extension to and put the trust in a hall-of-famer and see if he can actually be a good coach.
Moving on from Ducharme was imminent, but the timing was bizarre. This is why I’ve never truly understood the timing in hockey. Rebuilds happen. Teams are going to be bad. If anyone thought Montreal was sustaining last season into the future, I have an igloo to sell you.
And of course you have Nick Suzuki as your face of the present and future, and he’s a great piece to build around. But what are you going to do to build around a kid in his early 20s without a full NHL season in his back pocket yet?
I like Montreal’s prospects, even the future of the Habs going forward. But these last 40 games aren’t going to be pretty, and I’d stay away from taking Montreal going forward until you’re 100 percent sure. Right now, even against a shorthanded Caps team, I’m not sure about them. Capitals 4-2
Betting trends
The Capitals are 64-43 following consecutive overs.
The Capitals are 28-12 following a home loss.
The Canadiens are 0-6 following four straight overs.
The Canadiens are 10-29 following a game where eight or more total goals were scored.
Projected lines
Capitals:
Alex Ovechkin -- Evgeny Kuznetsov -- Conor Sheary
Joe Snively -- Nicklas Backstrom -- Tom Wilson
Connor McMichael -- Lars Eller -- Daniel Sprong
Carl Hagelin -- Nic Dowd -- Garnet Hathaway
Martin Fehervary -- John Carlson
Dmitry Orlov -- Nick Jensen
Trevor van Riemsdyk -- Justin Schultz
Ilya Samsonov
Alex Ovechkin -- Evgeny Kuznetsov -- Conor Sheary
Joe Snively -- Nicklas Backstrom -- Tom Wilson
Connor McMichael -- Lars Eller -- Daniel Sprong
Carl Hagelin -- Nic Dowd -- Garnet Hathaway
Martin Fehervary -- John Carlson
Dmitry Orlov -- Nick Jensen
Trevor van Riemsdyk -- Justin Schultz
Ilya Samsonov
Canadiens:
Artturi Lehkonen -- Nick Suzuki -- Tyler Toffoli
Mike Hoffman -- Laurent Dauphin -- Brendan Gallagher
Paul Byron -- Jake Evans -- Josh Anderson
Joel Armia -- Ryan Poehling -- Cole Caufield
Alexander Romanov -- Ben Chiarot
Brett Kulak -- Jeff Petry
Kale Clague -- Chris Wideman
Cayden Primeau
Artturi Lehkonen -- Nick Suzuki -- Tyler Toffoli
Mike Hoffman -- Laurent Dauphin -- Brendan Gallagher
Paul Byron -- Jake Evans -- Josh Anderson
Joel Armia -- Ryan Poehling -- Cole Caufield
Alexander Romanov -- Ben Chiarot
Brett Kulak -- Jeff Petry
Kale Clague -- Chris Wideman
Cayden Primeau
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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.
