The New Jersey Devils (42-16-6) head to face the Montreal Canadiens (26-33-6), who will be hoping to snap their losing run, at Bell Centre on Saturday. New Jersey is coming off a 3-2 shootout win over the Capitals on Thursday.
The Devils committed only two penalties in the game, holding Washington without a power play goal. Dawson Mercer and Erik Haula each scored once for the Devils. Mercer added an assist to lead the team in scoring.
Akira Schmid saved 20 of 22 shots in the win. Montreal lost for the fifth straight game, falling 4-3 (SO) to the Rangers on Thursday. Kaiden Guhle, Alex Belzile, and Josh Anderson each scored once for the Canadiens. Guhle added an assist to lead the team in scoring. Sam Montembeault saved only 30 of 33 shots against (.909%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The teams have split their two meetings this season, the most recent of which was a 5-2 victory for the Canadiens in February. Nick Suzuki (1G 1A), Mike Matheson (1G 1A), and Christian Dvorak (0G 2A) each had two points to lead Montreal. Jack Hughes led New Jersey with two points (0G 2A). Montembeault got the win, saving 38 of 40 shots (.950%).
FACING OFF
New Jersey is averaging 3.55 goals per game for the season, fourth in the NHL, and they are taking on a Canadiens team that is allowing 3.55 goals a game (26th).
Meanwhile, Montreal has found the net 2.69 times a game on average, 28th in the league, and the Devils are allowing opponents to score 2.70 goals per game (7th).
New Jersey averages more shots/game (34.6) than most teams in the league, ranking fourth. Montreal’s average of 27.7 attempts ranks 30th. The Canadiens’ 15.74% power play percentage is the third-worst in the league, while the Devils rank 14th with a conversion rate of 21.31%. Montreal has been equally unimpressive at penalty killing, as the hosts possess the league’s fifth-lowest PK% at 74.07%. New Jersey’s 81.72% ranks 11th in the NHL.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 76 points this season, Hughes is the top skater for the Devils. He is among the league leaders with 36 goals (9th) and has added 40 assists. In the net, Vitek Vanecek (27-7-3) is New Jersey’s top goaltender.
He has a 2.55 GAA and a .907% save percentage. Suzuki leads the Canadiens in scoring with 49 points. He has 21 goals and 28 assists in 65 games. Montembeault (12-13-2) has the best goals against average for Montreal at 3.30.
He has a save percentage of .905%. Jake Allen (14-20-3) has played the most games in net for the Canadiens this season. He has a 3.35 GAA and a .898% save percentage.
HOME AND AWAY
New Jersey is 24-4-4 on the road this season. Montreal is looking to avoid a fourth successive home defeat this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
NJ Devils -1.5 (-115)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
