The New Jersey Devils (8-11-4) hook up with the reeling Montreal Canadiens (11-8-5) Thursday at Bell Centre for a 7:30 p.m. ET puck drop. We analyze the Devils at Canadiens sports betting odds and lines, while providing NHL betting tips and picks around this matchup.
Devils at Canadiens: Projected starting goalies
MacKenzie Blackwood vs. Carey Price
Blackwood is 2-3-0 over his last five starts and 7-6-3 on the season. He has a .898 save percentage and a 3.07 goals against average through 15 starts and a relief appearance. He gave up nine goals on a total of 64 shots over his last two outings.
Price is coming off a disastrous outing against the Boston Bruins in which he allowed five goals on just 11 shots before being pulled. He is 1-2-1 over his last five games and now has a .900 SV% and a 3.09 GAA.
BetMGM BLACK FRIDAY SPECIAL
BET $1, WIN $250 in free bets if ANY NFL team scores a touchdown Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019. Bet now and win!
Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions.
Devils at Canadiens: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 8:15 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Canadiens 3, Devils 1
Moneyline (ML)
The Canadiens have dropped five straight with the skid capped by the ugly 8-1 loss to the rival Bruins on home ice. The Devils dropped a 3-2 decision against the Minnesota Wild on home ice Tuesday and they come into Thursday 4-6-0 on the road while the Habs are 6-5-2 at home.
The CANADIENS (-175) are still without LW Jonathan Drouin (wrist), but they’re still the deeper team up front and Price will be motivated (and rested) after leaving Tuesday’s game early. The home side starts the turnaround against the Metropolitan Division bottom feeders.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Canadiens to win in regulation, overtime or a shootout returns a profit of $5.70.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
The Devils are just 8-15 against the spread overall and 4-6 on the road. The Canadiens are 13-11 overall but a woeful 4-9 at Bell Centre. Just one of Montreal’s last five wins was decided by multiple goals but five of New Jersey’s last six losses were by at least two-goal margins.
Chase the value and back the CANADIENS (-1.5, +150) to win by two or more goals. The same $10 bet fetches a $15 profit. Montreal averages 53.74% of the 5-on-5 scoring chances in its games while New Jersey gets just 47.14% of those chances.
Over/Under (O/U)
Take the UNDER 6.5 (-154). The Devils and Canadiens were held to either two or one goal in three of their last four outings. Price is in the right spot to bounce back from his worst outing of the season.
Esten’s NHL betting record: 86-75
Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.
Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1369]