Montreal Canadiens @ Florida Panthers - March 30, 2025

Divisional bragging rights will be on the line this Sunday as the Montreal Canadiens face off against the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena. This matchup is shaping up to be an intriguing one, especially given the recent performances of both teams.

The oddsmakers have set the Panthers as solid -189 moneyline favorites. On paper, it’s hard to argue with that assessment. The Panthers boast a strong record of 44-25-3, and they’ve been relatively consistent at home, winning their last outing 2-1 against a tough opponent. Their offensive stats are impressive too; averaging about 3.2 goals per game and taking over 31 shots on goal, they have a shooting percentage hovering around 10.2%. Not to mention, they’ve been effective on the power play with a success rate of just over 24%.

However, despite their strong numbers, it’s worth noting that Florida has struggled against the spread lately—going 0-5 ATS in their last five games. This inconsistency might give some bettors pause before laying down heavy cash on them.

On the flip side, we have the Montreal Canadiens coming into this game with some serious struggles of their own. They’ve dropped five straight games and currently sit at a disappointing 33-30-9 for the season. Their offensive output is less than stellar compared to Florida’s; they average only three goals per game and take about 26 shots—indicating they might struggle to keep pace with Florida’s high-octane offense.

Despite these challenges, Montreal has shown resilience against the spread recently, going 8-3 ATS in their last eleven games. And if you’re looking for value betting opportunities like I do after years in this business, you might find that betting on Montreal to cover could pay off nicely here. If they manage to keep it close or even pull off an upset (which is always possible in hockey), they’ll definitely cover that spread.

Defensively, both teams show weaknesses but also strengths in different areas. The Panthers save percentage stands at an impressive 89.8%, while Montreal lags slightly behind at 88.5%. However, when it comes to penalty kills, both teams hover around similar percentages—Florida at 81% and Montreal at just over 80%.

With all this information in mind and considering current trends: I predict that Florida will win this game outright but don’t count out Montreal covering that spread based on their recent performance against it. As for the total score? Given both teams’ recent tendencies towards lower scoring outputs (especially with UNDERs hitting for both), I’d lean toward taking UNDER for this matchup.

So there you have it! My gut says Florida takes home the victory while keeping an eye out for Montreal covering and an overall low-scoring affair—a classic case of how unpredictable hockey can be! Remember my rituals: always wear your lucky socks when placing those bets!