Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals (-196, 6.0)

Carey Price is playing himself back into the starting job in Montreal. The Canadiens' goaltender has been a brick wall over his last three starts, giving up just two goals a game while facing an average of almost 36 shots.

Price’s most recent effort was a 3-2 shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday in which the goalie turned away 30 shots, came up huge in overtime and stopped all six shootout attempts in the additional frame.

It gave Price his first win at home this season, improving his numbers to 5-8-0 on the season, and secured him a spot in Friday’s starting lineup when the Habs visit the Washington Capitals.

Price’s red-hot play between the pipes should keep the Capitals’ top-ranked offense at bay while Montreal’s offense continues to struggle, averaging a mere 2.3 goals per game. That lack of scoring has seen Price play under the total in nine of his 14 appearances.

Pick: Under 6.0



Philadelphia Flyers at San Jose Sharks (-151, 5.5)

Friday’s East vs. West showdown is a possible Stanley Cup preview, according to many preseason predictions. But that fictional final may not be if the Sharks continue to sink.

San Jose has dropped back-to-back road games to Chicago and Nashville heading into this home contest. Coach Todd McLellan gave his players the day off Wednesday to recover from the rough three-game road swing.

“When you are winning, you don’t want to lose your edge,” assistant coach Matt Shaw told the team’s website. “Sometimes fatigue is the reason you are not playing well. You try to weigh everything.”

The Sharks lost both games by a score of 4-3, the most goals allowed in a game by San Jose since a 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning over a month ago. Fatigue could be an issue, as the Sharks have played an NHL-high 23 games while their opponents Friday have only 18 games under their belts.

“You just want to do what’s best for the team and to help you win,” said Shaw.

San Jose hasn’t lost to Philadelphia in seven years, winning eight times with two ties. That includes an earlier meeting this season in which the Sharks took a 4-1 road win.

Pick: San Jose -151