The Montreal Canadiens will play the New Jersey Devils on Saturday afternoon at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Montreal has lost four games in a row, while New Jersey has 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 22-27-8 this year after they lost to Pittsburgh by a score of 4-1 in their last game. Montreal led 1-0 in the first period, but they allowed the last four goals in the game for the loss. The Canadiens out shot Pittsburgh by a total of 31-27 and went 0-3 on the power play in the game. Montreal has also lost to Buffalo, Washington, and the Rangers during this losing streak. The Canadiens are scoring 2.74 goals per game and they are allowing 3.53 goals against per game, while going 19.4% on the power play and 73.6% on the penalty kill. Nick Suzuki has led Montreal with 20 goals, 33 assists, and 132 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for Montreal is Sam Montembeault, who is 12-10-4 this year with a 3.21 goals against average and a .902 save percentage.
Devils Preview
The New Jersey Devils are 28-24-4 this season after they lost to the Rangers by a score of 5-1 in their last game. New Jersey allowed the first five goals in this game, but they did score late in the third to avoid the shutout. The Devils out shot New York by a total of 40-18 and went 0-5 on the power play in the game. New Jersey lost to Washington by a score of 6-2 in the game prior to New York, but did beat Philadelphia before that. The Devils are scoring 3.32 goals per game and they are allowing 3.48 goals against per game, while going 22% on the power play and 78.7% on the penalty kill. Jesper Bratt has led New Jersey with 20 goals, 38 assists, and 178 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for New Jersey is Nico Daws, who is 6-8-0 this season with a 3.32 goals against average and a .895 save percentage.
New Jersey Devils Team Facts
- The underdogs have won four of the Devils’ last five games.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in each of the last six games between the Canadiens and Devils at Prudential Center.
- The Devils have won the third period in each of their last six home games against Atlantic Division opponents.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in 20 of the Devils’ last 24 games as favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.
Montreal Canadiens Team Facts
- The favorites have won each of the Canadiens’ last seven games.
- The Canadiens have covered the puck line in eight of their last nine games as underdogs against opponents on a losing streak.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in 15 of the Canadiens’ last 16 games following a road loss.
- The Canadiens have won the third period in 10 of their last 11 games against the Devils at Prudential Center.
New Jersey Devils Player Prop Facts
- Tyler Toffoli has scored a goal in three of the Devils’ last four home games.
- Nico Hischier has recorded at least one point in 20 of his last 21 appearances in day games.
- Jack Hughes has recorded an assist in each of the Devils’ last seven Saturday games against Eastern Conference opponents at Prudential Center.
- Timo Meier has recorded two assists against the Canadiens this season – equal-most against any opponent.
Montreal Canadiens Player Prop Facts
- Mike Matheson has scored a goal in three of his last four appearances against the Devils at Prudential Center.
- Mike Matheson has recorded at least one point in each of the Canadiens’ last six games as underdogs against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- Mike Matheson has recorded at least one assist in five of the Canadiens’ last six games as underdogs against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- Nick Suzuki ranks 1st in the Eastern Conference for shootout goals (4) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The New Jersey Devils are one of only two teams to win 5+ games when trailing after Period 2 this season.
- The New Jersey Devils rank 4th in the league for Period 3 goals scored per game this season (1.30).
- The Montreal Canadiens rank 28th in the league for goals per game this season (2.74).
- The Montreal Canadiens rank 32nd in the league in short handed goals allowed this season (9).
Canadiens vs Devils Betting Prediction
Both of these teams come into this matchup struggling and both could really use a win here. New Jersey has been out scored 11-3 in their last two games, and they are only 13-14-2 at home. Montreal has lost four games in a row and they have allowed 18 goals in those four losses. Neither team is very strong in the defensive end of the ice and they are allowing around 3.50 goals against per game. I think the defenses are going to continue to have some problems and I think we are going to see plenty of goals in this game. Take the over.