Columbus Blue Jackets vs Montreal Canadiens 11/17/22 NHL Picks, Predictions, Odds
Montreal Canadiens (8-7-1) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (5-9-1)
November 17, 2022 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Columbus Blue Jackets -156 / Montreal Canadiens +130; Over/Under: +6.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Montreal Canadiens and Columbus Blue Jackets meet Thursday in NHL action at the Nationwide Arena. The Montreal Canadiens have split their last 10 games. The Columbus Blue Jackets have lost 6 of their last 8 games.
The Montreal Canadiens are averaging 2.94 goals per game and are scoring on 15.9 percent of their power play opportunities. Nick Suzuki leads Montreal with 10 goals, Kirby Dach has 10 assists and Cole Caufield has 61 shots on goal. Defensively, the Montreal Canadiens are allowing 3.31 goals per game and are killing 79.6 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Jake Allen has given up 36 goals on 364 shots faced, and Sam Montembeault has allowed 12 goals on 171 shots.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are averaging 2.87 goals per game and are scoring on 10.5 percent of their power play opportunities. Johnny Gaudreau leads Columbus with 6 goals, Yegor Chinakhov has 6 assists and Boone Jenner has 55 shots on goal. Defensively, the Columbus Blue Jackets are allowing 4.33 goals per game and are killing 78.6 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Daniil Tarasov has allowed 14 goals on 131 shots faced, and Elvis Merzlikins has given up 36 goals on 265 shots.
The Canadiens are 14-37 in their last 51 road games and 31-72 in their last 103 overall. The Blue Jackets are 0-4 in their last 4 games playing on 1 days rest and 2-6 in their last 8 overall. The under is 6-1 in Canadiens last 7 road games. The over is 57-28-5 in Blue Jackets last 90 overall. The Canadiens are 1-7 in the last 8 meetings in Columbus and 0-5 in the last 5 meetings. The favorite is 6-2 in the last 8 meetings.
I’m not running to the window to back the Montreal Canadiens, especially on the road, but they’re playing the better hockey right now, and it’s hard to argue they’re not the better team at this point in the season. The Columbus Blue Jackets are just a mess defensively, and it’s hard to lay juice with such a lousy defense. Also, there’s only three teams in the league so far that have made more money than the Habs. Give me the road dog.
