Rookie Jacob Fowler makes his NHL debut as the Canadiens visit a hot Penguins team in a battle to end their losing streaks.
The Montreal Canadiens made headline Thursday when announcing top prospect Jacob Fowler is being called up to make his NHL debut in a tough road matchup versus the feisty Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins have secured points in ten of their last 13 games although having come away with just five wins. They've routinely pushed games to extra time and will look to come away with more points Thursday when hosting the Habs.
Montreal have been inconsistent in recent weeks, winning five of their last nine games but losing two straight entering Thursday. The biggest problem for the Habs this season has been their play between the pipes with regular starter Sam Montembeault severely struggling with a 5-6-1 record along with a 3.65 goals against average (GAA) and a brutal .857 save percentage. Backup Jakub Dobes has done his best to steady things with a solid 10-5-2 record but still allowed goals at an alarming rate with a 3.15 GAA on the season.
This has led them to making the massive move of calling up one of their top prospects in Fowler, who has produced record-breaking numbers at every stop of his junior career and will look to keep things going into the big leagues.
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Montreal Canadiens vs Pittsburgh Penguins Best Bets
Penguins ML (-133)
Under 6.5 Goals (-120)
Jacob Fowler Over 24.5 Saves (-110)
Overtime (TBD) Long Shot Pick
Fowler has truly dominated every level he's been at with a 57-13-3 record at Boston College followed by a 12-6-0 record with a 2.13 GAA and a .918 save percentage in the AHL. He will also provide a much-needed boost to this Habs team, which has been forced to fight through high-scoring shootouts, with seven or more goals in 15 of their last 20 games.
We expect this trend to shift, as the Penguins’ offense appears to be slowing down, scoring a league-worst 34 goals over their last 13 games. The Habs’ offense has not been much better, managing just 11 goals over their last six games. Fowler should step in to help keep this game low-scoring, with the possibility of overtime.
Both teams will likely battle hard, entering the matchup having lost two straight games, with the Penguins holding the advantage of home ice. The Habs have not won on the road in Pittsburgh since March 2023, suffering three consecutive losses at PPG Paints Arena. That last win also marked the final time they defeated the Penguins, as they enter Thursday on a six-game losing streak against Pittsburgh.
The Penguins will look to get to the rookie early and are known for firing a lot of shots in each game with an average of 28 shots on goal per game, which is in the top half of the league at 16th-best. Pittsburgh has also averaged 31.4 shots on goal over their last seven games versus the Habs and should force Fowler to have a busy night in his debut.
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