NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Canadiens vs Devils (Wednesday, January 17)
Via David Kirouac/Getty Images. Pictured: Montreal Canadiens goalie Sam Montembeault (35) during the San Jose Sharks versus the Montreal Canadiens game on January 11, 2024, at Bell Centre in Montreal, QC.
Canadiens vs. Devils Odds
| Canadiens Odds | +160 |
| Devils Odds | -194 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 -105/ -115 |
Here's everything you need to know about the Montreal Canadiens and New Jersey Devils on Wednesday, Jan. 17 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
Amid a three-game NHL slate on Wednesday, the Canadiens travel to the Garden State to take on the Devils.
Both teams will be kicking off a stretch of three games in four nights after playing on Monday, when the Devils were shut out on the road by the Boston Bruins, and the host Canadiens pulled out an impressive regulation win over the Colorado Avalanche.
Wednesday's meeting will be the second of three for Montreal and New Jersey this season. Back in October, former Canadien Tyler Toffoli posted a hat trick, and Jack Hughes added four assists as the Devils prevailed 5-2 at the Bell Centre.
Here's why bettors should expect the result to be reversed this time around.
The Canadiens are hitting the road after closing out their homestand with impressive efforts against a pair of formidable opponents.
On Saturday, Sam Montembeault made 39 saves, and Montreal picked up a point before falling in overtime to the surging Edmonton Oilers. Then they went toe-to-toe against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday and emerged victorious with a 4-3 regulation win.
That leaves the Canadiens at .500 for the year. Surprisingly, they've actually been better on the road, with a 9-7-4 record away from Bell Centre.
All three of Montreal's goalies have been performing decently, and Montembeault has been especially strong lately as he has started five of the last eight games and now is up to a .909 save percentage and 2.89 GAA. Jake Allen got the win against the Avalanche, so Montembeault has been named as the starter on Wednesday.
Up front, the Canadiens' numbers aren't as strong. They're averaging just 2.70 goals per game, control 46.51% of Expected Goals at 5-on-5 and kill only 73.3% of their penalties. All three of those are fifth-lowest marks in the league.
Montreal's scoring challenges are likely correlated with the number of injuries they've suffered among their forwards. Tanner Pearson, Alex Newhook, Josh Anderson, Christian Dvorak and Kirby Dach are all currently sidelined.
That leaves the young trio of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky attempting to drive the offense together on the top line, and they have done so with mixed results. The Canadiens have scored three goals or more in just three of their last seven games.
If you'd asked the Devils and their fans back in October, it's safe to assume that they would have expected to be more than four points up on the Canadiens in the Eastern Conference standings at the midpoint of the season.
Nonetheless, here they are — still playing structurally sound hockey and controlling 53.01% of Expected Goals at 5-on-5 while wheeling their way through injuries to Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, Ondrej Palat, Jonas Siegenthaler and Dougie Hamilton and trying to get their goaltending back on track.
Nico Daws has played well since rejoining the team in December after recovering from a hip injury. He has 3.4 Goals Saved Above Expected in five games played. But after an impressive 4-1 win over the Florida Panthers last weekend, the Devils couldn't get anything going in Boston on Monday and fell 3-0 in a matinee against the Bruins.
Normally, New Jersey's power play is one of its most lethal weapons, but it has gone silent for the last five games. That's an area where they sorely miss Hughes.
Canadiens vs. Devils
Betting Pick & Prediction
Considering the Canadiens' strong road record and quality play over the last couple of games along with the Devils' ongoing injury issues, it doesn't feel like much separates these two sides.
The oddsmakers disagree, however. They made the Devils strong home favorites on the opening moneyline, at -290, which works out to nearly 75% implied odds of winning.
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Bettors jumped on that number in a hurry, and by Tuesday evening the Canadiens' line had moved from +235 up to +190 at DraftKings, which improves their implied odds by about six percent. Other shops have moved even further, with FanDuel already down to +160.
Montreal should be competitive in this game, so that's still playable. If you can back the road dogs at a decent number, jump on it, but if this strong movement persists, the value will vanish. Don't go below +150.
Pick: Canadiens Moneyline +190 (DraftKings | Play to +150)
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