NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Canadiens vs. Red Wings (October 14)

Canadiens vs. Red Wings Odds

The Montreal Canadiens are coming off of a massive season-opening win against the Toronto Maple Leafs when Josh Anderson scored in the dying seconds of regulation to secure the win.

The Detroit Red Wings are ready to finally kick their season off as they have waited all week long to get going. They have some high expectations going into this season after a strong offseason and they have their eyes set on making the playoffs.

Can the Red Wings start off on the right foot, or will the Canadiens pull off another upset?

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Canadiens Riding Momentum of Opener

The Canadiens had a very strong showing in their opener as Cole Caufield led the way with two beautiful goals. The Habs were not expected to be very good this season, but head coach Martin St. Louis seems like he has his group locked in to prove their doubters wrong.

The Canadiens may have had just 23 shots on goal in their last game, but they were able to generate nine high-danger chances along with a 50.62 xGF%. They might not have the best team on paper, but they still do have some skilled forwards on their team like Caufield, Kirby Dach, Mike Hoffman, and even Sean Monahan. I wouldn't consider the Habs to be a playoff team, but they can definitely compete with everyone.

Jake Allen had a solid showing in his first start as he made 29 saves on 32 shots and skated to a .906 SV%. Allen is not completely outmatched in this game, so if he plays well enough he could potentially contribute to a huge road win.

Can the Red Wings Build on Last Season?

The Red Wings are going to be a very fun team to watch this season. There is a lot of buzz around this team and it seems as though they can finally make a push to get back into the playoffs.

They made some great additions this offseason like David Perron, Andrew Copp, Oskar Sundqvist, Ben Chiarot, and Ville Husso. There is no denying the fact that this is a much better roster than what they had last season and they should start the season with a ton of confidence in knowing that they are built for success.

They haven't played a meaningful game yet, so it will be interesting to see how they click right away, but there is a small chance that things don't go so well right off the bat. They made a ton of changes to their room and it might take some time for the chemistry to really gel.

That being said, the four guys that should pick up right where they left off are Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi, Moritz Seider, and Lucas Raymond. These guys were stellar last season and carried the Red Wings, but it wasn't enough to get to the postseason.

Ville Husso will most likely be the starter and it will be his debut in Detroit after being traded from the Blues. Husso was fantastic last season as he skated to a 25-7-6 record with a .919 SV% and a 2.56 GAA.

Detroit should come out strong, but it's hard to really know what to expect.

Canadiens vs. Red Wings Pick

I really liked the resilience that the Canadiens showed in their first game. I think this could be a case where they hold an edge having already played an intense game compared to Detroit, which hasn't gotten that experience yet.

I definitely think the Red Wings will be the better team this season, but the Canadiens are coming into this game feeling good about themselves whereas the Red Wings aren't sure who they are just yet. Montreal is able to make adjustments from game one to game two.

I think the Red Wings might be a little overvalued for their first game and I really think Montreal can pull off the upset. I'm going to go with Caufield and the Canadiens to spoil the party in the motor city.

Pick: Montreal Canadiens ML (+140)