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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Face-off: 1900 ET, 31/03/2022
Arena: PNC Arena
Carolina have put together a consistent run of strong performances of late and are expected to prove too powerful for Montreal on home ice.
The Canadiens have improved since losing 4-1 and 4-0 to the Hurricanes earlier this season but still look set to be outgunned at PNC Arena.
We’re taking 3.9 for the hosts to prevail by exactly three goals in our Carolina Hurricanes vs Montreal Canadiens predictions.
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Carolina’s Stanley Cup odds continue to be cut after a 3-0-2 stretch which has featured a couple of tight tussles with two-time defending champions Tampa Bay.
The Hurricanes won 3-2 at home last week and were only edged out 4-3 in overtime on the road on Tuesday.
Rod Brind’Amour’s side led three times at Amalie Arena but were pegged back on each occasion and conceded just 52 seconds into the extra period.
Nino Niederreiter, Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho netted, but Carolina appeared to feel the effects of the previous night’s 6-1 romp at Washington and a 7-2 Sunday success at St Louis.
“I could tell after the first shift we were gassed,” admitted Brind’Amour. “Guys tried their hardest, but we were so slow to everything.”
Returning home and having a day off to refresh and regroup should do the trick, though.
The Hurricanes were on fire going forward against the Capitals and the Blues, so 2.5 for a home win and over 6.5 goals appeals from the NHL odds.
Despite being out of playoffs contention, Montreal have been more than holding their own over the past couple of months, going 10-9-4.
However, the Canadiens did seem to be running out of steam in a 7-4 loss at Florida, which gave us a trio of successful selections in our match preview.
Chris Wideman and Laurent Dauphin each had a goal and an assist to help tie the scores at 4-4 after two periods, but the Panthers upped the tempo in the third.
“It’s not an easy team to face,” said coach Martin St Louis. “They looked faster than us on the ice, they forced us to turn the puck over and we had a hard time getting the puck out.
“They gave us a lot of problems executing because of their aggressiveness, their speed – and when they have the puck, they don’t give you much. They make good plays.”
Visiting another team in the top three of the overall league standings will provide the Habs with a tough test again at PNC Arena.
Let’s add 11.5 for a 5-2 home victory to our NHL predictions.
Additional stats
Last result:
Tampa Bay 4-3 CAROLINA (OT)
Florida 7-4 MONTREAL
Season head-to-head: Carolina 4-0 Montreal, Montreal 1-4 Carolina
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