Two teams that split their season series 1-1 a year ago, the Montreal Canadiens and the Winnipeg Jets collide at Bell MTS Place in an East-West tilt. This one will get underway at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 4 and it will be showcased live on Sportsnet.
Montreal Canadiens at Winnipeg Jets Odds
Winnipeg enters the matchup as the favorite with a moneyline of -135. The line for Montreal sits at +115 and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-130 over, +110 under).
The Jets are 7-5 straight up (SU) and have earned 2.3 units for moneyline bettors this season. That winning percentage, ranked second in the Central Division so far this season, is a welcome improvement compared to how the team performed during last year’s regular season (40-42). Of its 12 games this season, eight have gone over the total, while four have gone under and none have pushed. The team’s 4-2 SU at home so far this year.
Winnipeg’s converted on 17.5 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 16th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.5 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, Winnipeg has been called for penalties 4.2 times per game this season. Last year, that number was at 4.3, the fifth-highest figure in the league. After serving an average of 10.2 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team has had to kill penalties for 9.5 minutes per matchup this year.
With a .938 save percentage and 26.9 saves per game, Connor Hellebuyck (7-2-1) has been the primary goalkeeper for the Jets this year. If the Jets decide to give him the night off, however, it could turn to the winless Steve Mason (0-4-4 record, .872 save percentage, 4.84 goals against average).
The Jets will continue looking for leadership from Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele. Wheeler (15 points) has tallied four goals and 11 assists and has recorded two or more points three times this year. Scheifele has seven goals and eight assists to his credit and has notched a point in seven games.
Montreal is 4-9 straight up (SU) and has lost 6.1 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of nine of its outings have gone over the total, while three have gone under and just one has pushed. As the away team so far, Montreal is 2-6 SU.
Montreal has converted on just 13.5 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that places it in the bottom-five overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 28th overall and it’s successfully killed off 76.1 percent of all penalties.
Montreal’s skaters have been penalized 4.2 times per game this season, a number that’s up a bit from the 3.8 penalties per game given up last year. After serving an average of 9.3 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team’s been forced to stave off opponent power plays for 9.2 minutes per outing this year.
Carey Price (3.77 goals against average and .877 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for Montreal. Price is averaging 25.3 saves per game and owns a 3-8-1 record.
Leading the offensive counter for the visiting Canadiens will be Brendan Gallagher (six goals, four assists) and Phillip Danault (three goals, six assists).
Montreal Canadiens at Winnipeg Jets Free Picks
Betting Trends:
- After posting a 3-2 record in games decided by a shootout last year, Montreal is off to a 1-0 start in shootouts this season. Winnipeg was 3-1 in shootouts last year and has yet to participate in one this time around.
- The Canadiens have averaged the league’s third-most shots on goal (37.4) and Winnipeg has attempted just the 32nd-most (28.0).
- Winnipeg has scored 3.2 goals per game overall this year, but has upped it to 4.7 per match up over its three-game winning streak.
