New Jersey Devils vs Montreal Canadiens prediction 1-17-24 Picks

The Montreal Canadiens will play the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Montreal has lost three of their last four games, while New Jersey has also lost three of their last four. Let’s take a look at the betting matchup and the Canadiens vs Devils prediction. 

Canadiens Preview

The Montreal Canadiens are 18-18-7 this year after they defeated Colorado by a score of 4-3 in their last game. Montreal allowed Colorado to tie the game in the third period, but they scored the winning goal with about four minutes left in the game. The Canadiens were out shot by a total of 35-34 and went 2-2 on the power play in the game. Montreal lost to Edmonton, San Jose, and Philadelphia prior to that win. The Canadiens are scoring 2.70 goals per game and they are allowing 3.35 goals against per game, while going 19% on the power play and 73.3% on the penalty kill. Nick Suzuki has led Montreal with 12 goals, 25 assists, and 100 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for Montreal is Sam Montembeault, who is 9-6-4 this season with a 2.89 goals against average and a .909 save percentage. 

Devils Preview

The New Jersey Devils are 22-16-3 this season after they lost to Boston by a score of 3-0 in their last game. New Jersey allowed one goal in the second period and two goals in the third period in the shutout loss. The Devils were out shot by a total of 36-31 and went 0-1 on the power play in the game. New Jersey defeated Florida by a score of 4-1 in the game prior to Boston, but lost to Tampa Bay and Vancouver before that. The Devils are scoring 3.46 goals per game and they are allowing 3.49 goals against per game, while going 27.6% on the power play and 77.1% on the penalty kill. Jesper Bratt has led New Jersey with 16 goals, 30 assists, and 123 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for New Jersey is Vitek Vanecek, who is 14-7-2 this year with a 3.31 goals against average and a .882 save percentage. 

New Jersey Devils Team Facts

• The Devils have won 17 of their last 19 night games following a road loss.
• The Devils have failed to cover the puck line in 13 of their last 14 home games against Eastern Conference opponents.
• The road team has won the third period in 17 of the last 18 games between the Canadiens and Devils.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in seven of the Devils’ last eight games as favorites against Atlantic Division opponents.

Montreal Canadiens Team Facts

• The Canadiens have lost eight of their last nine games following a win.
• The underdogs have covered the puck line in each of the Canadiens’ last five games.
• The Canadiens have won the third period in each of their last 10 games against the Devils at Prudential Center.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in three of the Canadiens’ last four games.

New Jersey Devils Player Prop Facts

• Timo Meier has scored at least one goal in each of his last three appearances in home games.
• Jack Hughes has recorded at least one point in each of the Devils’ last 10 games as favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.
• Jack Hughes has recorded at least one assist in each of the Devils’ last five games as favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.
• Tyler Toffoli has scored three goals against the Canadiens this season – most against any opponent.

Montreal Canadiens Player Prop Facts

• Mike Matheson has scored a goal in each of his last three appearances against the Devils at Prudential Center.
• Sean Monahan has recorded at least one point in each of his last six appearances in night games at Prudential Center.
• Michael Pezzetta has recorded an assist in four of the Canadiens’ last five games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
• Nick Suzuki ranks 1st in the league for shootout goals (4) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The New Jersey Devils rank 7th in the league for goals per game this season (3.46).
• The New Jersey Devils rank 25th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (77.10%).
• The Montreal Canadiens are one of only two teams to win 3+ games when trailing after Period 2 this season.
• The Montreal Canadiens rank 31st in the league for Period 1 goals scored per game this season (0.63).

Canadiens vs Devils Betting Prediction

New Jersey comes into this game after losing three of their last four and they are dealing with some key injuries. Jack Hughes and Ondrej Palat are day-to-day for the Devils, and they are only 9-9-2 at home. Montreal has also lost three of their last four games, but they are coming off of a nice win against Colorado. The Devils are allowing 3.49 goals against per game this year and I don’t love how they have played recently. Take a shot with the Canadiens and the nice plus money.