Canadiens vs Hurricanes Prediction & Odds - 4/16/2025

The Carolina Hurricanes look to snap their concerning 1-5 slump as they face the Montreal Canadiens in a regular season finale with vastly different stakes for both teams.

While Carolina has already locked up second place in the Metro division and is simply hoping to avoid injuries before their first-round matchup with the Devils, Montreal desperately needs at least one point to secure the final Eastern Conference wildcard spot.

The Bell Centre showdown features a Canadiens squad playing solid defense in recent weeks against a Hurricanes team that's struggled offensively, scoring one goal or fewer in three of their past five contests.

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Montreal Canadiens vs. Carolina Hurricanes preview

The Canadiens find themselves in a must-not-lose situation as they host the Hurricanes in their regular season finale, needing just a single point to clinch the East's final wildcard spot and set up a first-round matchup with Toronto.

Carolina, having long secured second place in the Metro Division, comes in on a concerning 1-5 skid and appears content to simply escape Bell Centre injury-free before their playoff series against New Jersey begins.

Montreal's young stars Nick Suzuki (87 points) and Cole Caufield (69 points) will look to capitalize against a Hurricanes defense that has surrendered an alarming 20 goals in their last five contests.

While the Hurricanes boast superior goaltending on paper, they've struggled offensively of late, managing just one goal in three of their last five games—a troubling trend for a team that will need scoring depth in the postseason.

The contrast couldn't be starker: a desperate Canadiens squad fighting for their playoff lives against a Hurricanes team simply going through the motions, potentially resting key players with nothing meaningful at stake.

Bell Centre should be electric as Montreal looks to avoid the nightmare scenario where a regulation loss combined with a Columbus win on Thursday would shockingly knock them out of postseason contention.

Key stats

1

Carolina holds 4th place in the Eastern Conference with 99 points from 80 games played, while Montreal sits in 8th with 89 points from 81 games

2

The Hurricanes have a goal difference of +37 (259 scored, 222 conceded) compared to Montreal's -22 (241 scored, 263 conceded)

3

Carolina's recent form shows concerning inconsistency (LWLLL), while Montreal has shown improvement lately (LLLWW)

4

The Hurricanes have won 47 games this season compared to Montreal's 39, giving Carolina a 58.8% win rate versus Montreal's 48.1%

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