The fifth-place squad in the Eastern Conference, the Washington Capitals (6-2), host the 12th-ranked Montreal Canadiens (4-5-1) at Capital One Arena on Thursday at 7:00 PM ET.

Washington won 5-3 at home its last time out on October 29 against the New York Rangers.

Montreal played at home its last time out on October 29, and fell 8-2 against the Seattle Kraken.

Before this matchup, here’s what you need to prepare for Thursday’s hockey action.

Stream NHL games and originals all season long on ESPN+!

Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens odds and betting lines

NHL odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Thursday at 5:52 PM ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.

  • Favorite: Capitals (-223)
  • Underdog: Canadiens (+184)
  • Over/under: 6.5
Watch the NHL on Fubo!

Capitals stats and trends

  • Washington has picked up a victory in only game of the one game it’s been the moneyline favorite in this season.
  • The Capitals have not played a game with their moneyline odds shorter than -223 this season.
  • Based on the moneyline odds, Washington has a 69.0% chance of winning this contest.
  • Washington and its opponent have gone over the current 6.5-goal total in four of eight matches (50.0%) so far this season.
  • They are scoring at a 3.9 goals-per-game average (31 total) over that stretch.
  • Over on the defensive side, the Capitals have allowed 23 goals (2.9 per game) in those 10 outings.

Canadiens stats and trends

  • The Canadiens have been made the underdog 10 times this season, and upset their opponent four times.
  • Montreal has been an underdog by +184 or longer on the moneyline three times, losing each of those contests.
  • The Canadiens have a 35.2% chance to win this game (implied from the moneyline).
  • Montreal has combined with its opponent to score more than 6.5 goals in seven of 10 games this season.
  • They have averaged 2.9 goals per game (29 total) during that span.
  • On the defensive end, the Canadiens have allowed 38 goals (3.8 per game) over those 10 matchups.