The Montreal Canadiens (5-9-2) travel to face off against the Minnesota Wild (10-2-3) on Thursday, November 14th. This game will be played at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul and televised on ESPN+. The Wild are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Canadiens are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Penguins. Puck drop is set for 8:00 ET.

Canadiens vs Wild

The Montreal Canadiens Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

With a 3-1 loss to the Penguins, the Canadiens now sit at 5-9-2 for the season. Montreal entered the game as underdogs on the puck line, and the total was set at 6.5 goals, but the combined score of 4 fell short of that mark.

Montreal’s only goal came in the third period, cutting the deficit to 2-1 before the Penguins added an empty-netter. Christian Dvorak scored for the Canadiens at 14:28 in the third period.

The Minnesota Wild Are Coming Off A Win

With a 2-1 overtime win against the Maple Leafs, the Wild improved to 10-2-3. Minnesota entered the game as the puck line favorites, but failed to cover. The total was set at 6 goals, and the combined 3 goals fell well short of that mark.

Ryan Hartman opened the scoring for the Wild at 9:41 in the first period, but the Maple Leafs tied it up with just 52 seconds left in the period. Matt Boldy netted the game-winner 2:14 into overtime.

Montreal Offense Breakdown

Montreal’s offense struggled in their 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh, managing just one goal. Christian Dvorak found the net for the first time this season, scoring 5:32 into the third period. The Canadiens fired 26 shots on goal but were held scoreless until Dvorak’s effort.

Montreal recorded 20 giveaways and failed to capitalize on any power play opportunities. Emil Heineman picked up his first assist of the season, while Juraj Slafkovsky added his seventh assist on Dvorak’s goal.

Wild Offense Breakdown

Ryan Hartman netted his third goal of the season at 9:41 in the first period, while Matt Boldy added his sixth, scoring 2:14 into overtime to secure a 2-1 win for the Wild. Jared Spurgeon contributed with two assists, bringing his season total to three, and Marco Rossi picked up his seventh assist on Boldy’s game-winner.

The Wild fired 33 shots on goal but were held scoreless in the second and third periods before Boldy’s overtime winner. They recorded 15 giveaways in the game.

Montreal Team Defense

Montreal’s defense gave up the first two goals in their last game, with both coming at the hands of Sidney Crosby. The first came at 15:57 in the first period, and the second, a power-play goal, was scored at 18:40 in the second. The Canadiens cut the lead to 2-1 in the third, but the Penguins added an empty-netter with 45 seconds remaining, resulting in a 3-1 loss for Montreal. Goalie Sam Montembeault made 21 saves with a 91.3% save percentage, while the Canadiens’ defense recorded 4 takeaways and 28 hits.

Minnesota Team Defense

Defensively, the Wild gave up a late first-period goal to the Maple Leafs but held them scoreless the rest of the way. Filip Gustavsson made 27 saves, finishing with a 96.4% save percentage. The Wild’s defense also recorded 7 takeaways and 22 hits.

Canadiens vs Wild Trends

• When looking at their past three road matchups, Montreal has an puck line record of 1-2 while averaging 3 per game. The team went 1-2 overall in these games.
• Across the Wild last ten home games, the team averaged 2 goals per game while allowing 3. Their record vs the puck line in these contests was 2-8, while going 4-6 straight-up.
• The last ten games that Minnesota was the underdog, they have an puck line mark of 5-5 while going 3-7 straight up.
• Going back to their last ten games as the favorite, the Canadiens have a straight up record of 7-3. But, their mark vs the puck line was just 4-6.

Canadiens vs Wild Prediction

When making a moneyline pick, my choice is the Canadiens to come out with a win against the Wild while playing on the road. Considering the moneyline odds at +217, 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.

With an over/under line sitting at 6.5 goals, we like this game to surpass that mark and recommend getting a bet down on the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* 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.