Pittsburgh Penguins vs Montreal Canadiens Forecast, 12/20/2025 NHL Selections, Top Wagers & Odds

• Matchup: Pittsburgh Penguins vs Montreal Canadiens
• Date: Saturday, December 20, 2025
• Venue: Bell Centre, Montreal, QC
• Broadcast: TSN2
• Betting Odds: Penguins (-196) Canadiens (+162)

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This Saturday, the Montreal Canadiens (17-12-4) will face off against the Pittsburgh Penguins (14-9-9) at the Bell Centre. The betting line favors the Penguins at -196, while the Canadiens are listed at +162. The total is set at 6 goals.

After suffering a 6-4 defeat to the Oilers in their last outing, the Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to reclaim their winning form. Despite the loss, the Penguins displayed a strong offensive effort, managing to score 4 goals from 30 shots. They also had 6 power play opportunities, converting once, while facing 8 penalty minutes themselves.

While playing at even strength, the Penguins have conceded 79 goals while scoring 75. Their opponents have been granted 98 power play opportunities, converting 18 of those chances. On the offensive front, the Penguins have notched 103 goals this season (ranked 14th in the league) and allowed 97. They’ve taken 910 shots, achieving an 11.3% shooting percentage. Currently, they’ve secured 37 points with a points percentage of .578. On the defensive side, they’ve faced 919 shots against them, maintaining a save percentage of .894. This season, they’ve capitalized on 90 power play opportunities, scoring 28 goals for a conversion rate of 31.11%.

Stuart Skinner will likely be in net for this match. With 198 games under his belt, Skinner holds a 109-63-18 overall record and has started in 192 of those matches. He has allowed 522 goals throughout his career, with a goals-against average of 2.72. Facing 5,411 shots, he boasts a save percentage of .904 across 9,279 minutes on the ice. Skinner has achieved 105 quality starts, with a quality start percentage of .547.

In their previous game, the Canadiens faced the Flyers, resulting in a 4-1 loss. Montreal managed to score only once from 22 shots on goal and failed to convert their one power play opportunity.

This season, the Canadiens have scored 80 goals at even strength and 24 while on the power play (9th in the league). They’ve recorded 830 shots taken (29th overall) with a shooting percentage of 12.53%, allowing 906 shots against. Montreal has compiled 104 goals and 38 points for a points percentage of .576, giving up a total of 115 goals: 90 at even strength and 25 while short-handed. With 92 power play opportunities, their conversion rate stands at 26.09%, and they have a penalty kill rate of 76.85% against 108 opponent power plays, with a save percentage of 87.3%.

Jakub Dobes is likely to guard the goal for the Canadiens. He’s allowing an average of 2.84 goals per game, with a total of 91 goals conceded. His quality start rate is 56.3%, having recorded 18 quality starts in his NHL tenure. Dobes has played in 32 games, with a total playing time of 890 minutes, holding a career record of 18-9-5 with 820 saves from 911 shots, yielding a save percentage of .900.

Who will prevail in tonight’s NHL matchup against the spread or money line?

Prediction: Bet on Pittsburgh (-196)