The two best teams in the Atlantic Division meet at TD Garden with a point streak and a home winning streak colliding in the oldest rivalry in hockey.
Quick take:
- Pick: Under 6.5 goals
- Why: Two goalies sitting on .920-plus save percentages, plus a Montreal power play that ranks near the bottom of the league.
- The number to watch: Boston is allowing just 2.3 goals per game over its last 10.
Thursday’s matchup between the Montreal Canadiens (11-3-4, 26 points) and the Boston Bruins (13-4-1, 27 points) is the first of four meetings this season, and it comes with the top spot in the Atlantic on the line. Boston leads by a single point. Puck drop is at 7:00 PM ET.
Montreal arrives on an 11-game point streak (8-0-3). Its last regulation loss came October 14 in Washington, and it is coming off a 2-1 overtime loss to Minnesota on Tuesday. The Canadiens are also 6-1-1 on the road. Boston has its own run going: four straight wins overall and seven in a row at TD Garden, where it is 8-1-0 this season.
Bruins Slight Favorites in a Coin-Flip Market
The market sees this as close to a toss-up with a small tilt toward the home team. Boston is priced around -115 to -125 on the moneyline, Montreal is a short underdog, and the total is set at 6.5 goals. The puck line has Boston at -1.5 with plus-money returns, while Montreal at +1.5 carries heavy juice. When a total sits at 6.5 between two teams that defend well, the number deserves a hard look. If you are comparing sportsbooks before you bet, a DraftKings promo code can add a little extra value to a new account.
| Thursday, November 12 at 7:10 PM | Spread | Money | Total |
| Montréal Canadiens | 
-1.5 (110) | 
-179 | 
O 6.5 (-160) |
| Boston Bruins |
+1.5 (-188) |
+160 |
U 6.5 (120) |
Recent Form
Both teams are playing their best hockey of the year, and the numbers below show how the two sides got here.
Showing 0 of last 10 games for Montreal Canadiens — we just started tracking this team.
| DATE | OPP | CLOSE | RESULT | ATS/OU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 8, 2026 | Florida Panthers | -1.5 / 5.5 | Won 4-1 | Won / Under |
| Nov 6, 2026 | @Pittsburgh Penguins | +1.5 / 6.5 | Won 2-6 | Won / Over |
| Nov 3, 2026 | Vegas Golden Knights | +1.5 / 5.5 | Won 3-2 | Won / Under |
| Oct 31, 2026 | Chicago Blackhawks | -1.5 / 6.5 | Won 5-4 | Lost / Over |
| Oct 30, 2026 | @St Louis Blues | +1.5 / 6 | Lost 4-1 | Lost / Under |
| Oct 28, 2026 | @Carolina Hurricanes | -1.5 / 7.5 | Lost 2-1 | Lost / Under |
| Oct 24, 2026 | San Jose Sharks | -2.5 / 7.5 | Won 6-4 | Lost / Over |
| Oct 22, 2026 | Nashville Predators | -1.5 / 5.5 | Won 6-0 | Won / Over |
| Oct 21, 2026 | @Dallas Stars | -1.5 / 6.5 | Lost 3-2 | Lost / Under |
| Oct 18, 2026 | @Los Angeles Kings | +1.5 / 6.5 | Won 1-4 | Won / Under |
No meetings recorded yet between Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins — we'll track this matchup starting with their next game.
Why Goaltending and Special Teams Point to a Low-Scoring Night
Montreal’s Jacob Fowler is confirmed in net. He is 8-1-2 with a .925 save percentage and a 2.14 goals-against average, and he has been a major reason the Canadiens keep finding ways to collect points. Boston is expected to go with Jeremy Swayman, who is 9-3-1 with a .920 save percentage and a 2.21 GAA. Michael DiPietro, 4-1-0, is the other option if the Bruins change course.
Montreal’s power play is clicking at 14.8%, which ranks 30th in the NHL.
That matters because the Canadiens are not going to score cheap goals on the man advantage. Boston’s power play is not much better at 18.3% (23rd), and both penalty kills sit in the high 70s (Boston 77.0%, Montreal 77.8%). Neither team has a special-teams edge big enough to blow the game open.
At five-on-five, Montreal leans on Nick Suzuki, who has seven goals and nine assists, and Cole Caufield, who has six goals and five assists over his last 10 games. Lane Hutson drives the offense from the back end. Boston counters with David Pastrnak, who has eight goals and 16 assists, and Charlie McAvoy, who has eight assists over his last 10. Montreal is without Ivan Demidov (ankle) and Sam Montembeault (lower body), and the blue line is thinner without Mike Matheson. Boston is missing rookie James Hagens (back), but its lines have stayed intact since the win over Florida on Sunday.
Boston’s second line deserves a mention too. Fraser Minten has five goals and five assists in 15 games and a plus-9 rating, and he centers a line that has quietly kept Boston’s depth scoring alive.
The Bruins are 7-2-1 in their last 10 while allowing 2.3 goals per game. Montreal is 7-0-3 over its last 10 with 35 goals for and 25 against, or 2.5 allowed per game. Put those defensive numbers together and the combined total lands well short of seven.
There is also a history lesson hanging over this one. Boston went 2-1-1 against Montreal last season, and the first two games each featured a fight right after the opening faceoff. Expect the same emotion early, with both benches leaning on their top lines to set the tone. That kind of start usually means tight checking rather than a track meet, because neither coach wants to hand the other team a momentum swing in the first ten minutes.
The situational angles are close to even as well. Boston has had three days of rest since its last game, while Montreal is coming off Tuesday’s overtime loss at home to Minnesota. Fowler, who has started two games in the past seven days, still gets the call. If the Canadiens are slightly short on legs late, the more likely result is a one-goal Boston win, not a high-scoring shootout.
Prediction and Best Bet
Boston has the edge at home with seven straight wins at TD Garden, but Montreal has been too resilient, and too good in net, for a blowout. Expect a tight, physical game with both goalies steady and the power plays quiet. The Bruins grind out a one-goal win.
The pick:
- Prediction: Bruins 3, Canadiens 2
- Best Bet: Under 6.5 goals
Two goalies with save percentages of .920 or better, two defensive-minded teams over the last 10 games and a Montreal power play stuck near the bottom of the league make the under the sharpest play. For more on how to size a wager like this, see our betting calculator, and browse the live NHL odds before puck drop.
