The Columbus Blue Jackets (-115) welcome the Montreal Canadiens (-105) at Nationwide Arena on Wednesday. The total is 6.5 (O: -120, U: +100)Montreal (9-9-1) is playing the second of a back-to-back after suffering a high-scoring 7-2 loss against the Sabres yesterday.
The Canadiens committed seven penalties in the game, conceding two power play goals. Cole Caufield and Sean Monahan each scored once for the Canadiens. Jake Allen saved only 31 of 38 shots against (.815%) in the loss.
Columbus (7-10-1) beat the Panthers 5-3 on Sunday. Five players found the net for the Blue Jackets. Johnny Gaudreau scored and provided two assists to lead the team in scoring. Daniil Tarasov was impressive in the win, making 47 saves (.940%).
HEAD TO HEAD
The Blue Jackets won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 6-4 victory on November 17, their sixth straight win against Montreal. Sean Kuraly led Columbus with three points (2G 1A). Nick Suzuki (1G 1A), Brendan Gallagher (1G 1A), and Christian Dvorak (0G 2A) each had two points to lead Montreal. Joonas Korpisalo got the win, saving 38 of 42 shots (.904%).
FACING OFF
Montreal is averaging 3.00 goals per game for the season, 19th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Blue Jackets team that is allowing 4.33 goals a game (32nd). Meanwhile, Columbus has found the net 3.06 times a game on average, 18th in the league, and the Canadiens are allowing opponents to score 3.68 goals per game (29th).
The Blue Jackets’ 14.63% power play percentage is the third-worst in the league, while Montreal’s 15.79% conversion rate ranks fourth-lowest. In terms of penalty killing, Montreal has the league’s 15th-ranked PK% at 79.03%, while Columbus is 21st at 76.47%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 23 points this season, Suzuki is the top skater for the Canadiens. He is among the league leaders with 11 goals (7th) and has added 12 assists. In the net, Sam Montembeault (3-2-1) is Montreal’s top goaltender by goals against average.
He has a 2.83 GAA and a .915% save percentage. Allen (6-6-0) leads the Canadiens in games played in goal. He has a GAA of 3.33 and a save percentage of .898%.Gaudreau leads the Blue Jackets in scoring with 18 points.
He has seven goals and 11 assists in 18 games. Korpisalo (3-2-1) has the best goals against average for Columbus at 4.17. He has a save percentage of .897%. Elvis Merzlikins (2-5-0) has played the most games in net for the Blue Jackets this season. He has a 4.74 GAA and a .864% save percentage.
HOME AND AWAY
Montreal is 3-4-1 away from home this season. Columbus is 6-6-0 at home this season. Meanwhile, the Canadiens are 1-1 without a day off and 0-1 playing with a rest disadvantage. The Blue Jackets are 1-1 with a rest advantage.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Columbus Blue Jackets (-115)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
