The Montreal Canadiens (9-10-2) travel to face off against the Columbus Blue Jackets (7-12-4) on Wednesday, November 29th. This game will be played at Nationwide Arena in Columbus and televised on ESPN+. The Blue Jackets are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Canadiens are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Kings. Puck drop is set for 7:00 ET.
Montreal Canadiens vs Columbus Blue Jackets
The Montreal Canadiens Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
This season, the Canadiens have an overall record of 9-10-2. On the road, Montreal holds a 4-4-2 mark, and they are 5-6-0 when playing at home. At the moment, they hold the 7th spot in the Eastern Atlantic division and are ranked 14th in the Eastern conference. Looking at Montreal’s average scoring margin, it is -0.8, which has led to a puck line record of 1-20. When playing at home, their scoring margin is -0.7, and on the road, it is -0.8.
Coming off a 4-0 loss on the road to the Kings, the Canadiens are hoping to bounce back today. In this game, Montreal’s offense had a challenging time against the Kings and failed to score. The Canadiens’ offense finished with 4 giveaways and attempted 18 shots on goal during the game.
Coming in as the underdog, Montreal not only lost straight-up but also failed to cover the puck line. The over/under line for the game was 6.5, and it concluded with a combined total of 4 goals.
The Columbus Blue Jackets Are Coming Off A Win
This season, the Blue Jackets have an overall record of 7-12-4. On the road, Columbus holds a 2-6-3 mark, and they are 5-6-1 when playing at home. This record has them sitting 8th in the Eastern Metropolitan division and 15th in the Eastern conference. Columbus’ average scoring difference this season sits at -0.5, which has contributed to their overall puck line record of 5-18. When playing at home, they have a scoring margin of -0.2, and on the road, it is -0.9.
In their last game, the Blue Jackets were the hosts against the Bruins, and they came away with a 5-2 win. Against the Bruins, the Blue Jackets’ offense scored in all three periods. Out of Columbus’ five goals, one were scored during power plays. They concluded the game with 40 shots on goal and had six giveaways.
Going into the game, Columbus was the underdog, giving them a win vs. the puck line. The teams surpassed the over/under line, which was set at 6 goals, with a combined total of 7 goals.
Montreal Offense Breakdown
The Canadiens come into the game scoring an average of 2.7 goals per game, putting them 28th in the NHL. Regarding shots targeted at the goal per game, they are 26th in the league. This season, the Canadiens are 1-1 when getting more shots on goal than their opponents. And in games with fewer shots on goal, they have a 8-9 record.
This season, the Canadiens have an over/under record of 11-10-0. Throughout the season, they have played 11 games that went over the 6.5 over/under line. The average number of goals in their games is 6.4 per game.
Columbus Offense Breakdown
Offensively, the Blue Jackets come into the game at 2.9 goals per contest placing 13th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are in 7th position in the league. Columbus’ offense is currently ranked 27th in power play goals. When it comes to shorthanded goals, they are 30th in the league.
For the season, the over/under record of the Blue Jackets’ stands at 13-10-0. They have had 13 games during the season that exceeded the 6.5 over/under line. On average, their games are averaging 6.3 goals per game.
Montreal Team Defense
Coming into the game, the Canadiens’ defense is 29th in takeaways at 5 takeaways per contest. Overall, they are giving up 3.3 goals per game which is 4th in the NHL.
Columbus Team Defense
The Blue Jackets’ defense comes into the game with a ranking of 20th in takeaways and an average of 5.9 takeaways per contest. They hold 2nd place in the NHL for goals allowed, with an average of 3.1 goals given up per game.
Canadiens vs Blue Jackets Trends
- Through their last three road contests, the Canadiens offense has averaged 2 goals per game while allowing an average of 3. Montreal posted an overall record of 2-1 while going 1-2 ATS.
- When looking at their past three home matchups, Columbus has an puck line record of 2-1 while averaging 2 per game. The team went 1-2 overall in these games.
- Going back to their last ten games as the underdog, the Blue Jackets have a straight up record of 2-8. But, their mark vs the puck line was just 7-3.
- Over the team’s last three games as the favorite, the Canadiens struggled vs the puck line going just 0-3. However, they still had a straight up mark of 3-0.
Canadiens vs Blue Jackets Prediction
When making a moneyline pick, my choice is the Canadiens to come out with a win against the Blue Jackets while playing on the road. Considering the moneyline odds at +111, I’m placing my bet on the Canadiens to win outright.
If you’re looking to get a bet down on this matchup, we foresee the Canadiens winning the underdog. However, if you’re not as confident in the Canadiens straight-up, we’d still recommend placing a bet on them to cover the puck line.
When considering the over/under line, which is currently at 6.5 goals, we believe that this game will go over that threshold, and we recommend wagering on the over.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:November 29, 2023 Blue Jackets, Canadiens, Uncategorized