The Montreal Canadiens (10-6-2) and Columbus Blue Jackets (9-7-2) meet in the NHL tonight. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. EST at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
The Blue Jackets are favored by -1.5 on the puck line, with the over/under set at 6.5 (-100o / -120u). The Blue Jackets are a -125 favorite to win outright, while the Canadiens are +105 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Canadiens vs. Blue Jackets predictions and NHL picks.
Canadiens vs. Blue Jackets Odds, Pick
| Canadiens Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -225 | 6.5 -100o / -120u | +105 |
| Blue Jackets Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +185 | 6.5 -100o / -120u | -125 |
- Canadiens vs. Blue Jackets Spread: Blue Jackets -1.5 (+185 ), Canadiens +1.5 (-225)
- Canadiens vs. Blue Jackets Over/Under: 6.5 (-100o / -120u)
- Canadiens vs. Blue Jackets Moneyline: Canadiens +105, Blue Jackets -125
Canadiens vs. Blue Jackets Preview
Montreal Canadiens
Find me a team that’s going through it worse than the Montreal Canadiens right now, because I don’t think you can find one.
In the span of three days, Montreal has suffered injuries to Alex Newhook, Kaiden Guhle, and Kirby Dach. All three players will be out for at least a few weeks.
Additionally, Montreal has suffered a loss in five of its last six games, with four of those losses occurring at home, including a 7-0 defeat at the hands of the Dallas Stars.
The Habs still have a lot of talent up front, in captain Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson, but as the depth whittles away, it’s going to start to wear on them.
I don’t think Montreal is in any immediate danger, but I would be wary. It’s still early in the season, and just 10 days ago, the Habs were standing atop the Eastern Conference.
Now? They’re third in the Atlantic.
In November, the Habs are performing to a middling 5-on-5 49.6 xGF% on the offensive end, and a 2.62 xGA/60.
In addition, they’re also 2 for their last 21 attempts on the power play, but they have been doing fairly solidly on the penalty kill, stopping power plays at a decent 84% rate.
At this point, Montreal’s goaltending has been rather abysmal, so it’s hard to say who’s its number-one. Based on history, Sam Montembeault is probably the guy, but Jakub Dobes is performing at a higher level, with a .901 SV% compared to Montembeault’s .856%.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Inconsistency has been the name of the game for the Blue Jackets, as they’ve maintained a steady .500 record in their past 10 games – most recently, an overtime loss to the Rangers.
There is, however, a lot to like on the offensive end for this team.
Kirill Marchenko is shaping up to be a top-tier goal scorer like I envisioned, and Dmitri Voronkov is having a nice follow-up season after posting 47 points last year.
This month, Columbus has been playing at a solid level on the offensive end, ranking eighth on 5-on-5 with a 54.8 xGF%, but on defense, it’s been abysmal. The Jackets have played to a fifth-worst 2.92 xGA/60.
Goaltending is where there will be the most headaches. I’ve consistently been a critic of Elvis Merzlikins, despite his incredible Sonic-themed goalie mask, but I’ll need to see a little more out of him.
His .908 SV% seems promising, and his 5.0 GSAx bucks the trends of what we typically see out of him, so pardon me if I’m a little skeptical.
Canadiens vs. Blue Jackets Prediction
Unless it’s pretty clear-cut, I typically try to avoid doing the over on 6.5 goals, but this seems like a perfect storm.
Despite the injuries, Montreal still has a lot of high-end scorers. And given Merzlikins’ volatility and Columbus’s poor defense, I like our chances at -105 odds.
But let’s also point out that Montreal’s goaltending hasn’t been great either, and the Habs have found themselves in games that have gone over 6.5 goals in eight out of their last 10 games.
I think it’s truly worth taking a flier on, so let’s cash out, shall we?
Pick: Over 6.5 (-105)
