On the heels of four straight victories, the Columbus Blue Jackets find themselves at the top of the Metropolitan Division. The Jackets will look to match a season-best winning streak when they host the Montreal Canadiens tonight. Sportsbooks opened the Canadiens as +135 road underdogs with a total of 6.
- The Canadiens are 2-6 SU in their last eight games vs the Blue Jackets.
- The total has gone UNDER in eight of the Blue Jackets’ last 11 games at home (avg. combined score: 5.45).
- The Blue Jackets are 7-1 SU in their last eight games as favorite.
Canadiens vs Blue Jackets Game Center
Canadiens’ issues on the power play are concerning
The Blue Jackets, who also own a four-game winning streak at home, are set to conclude a three-game homestand at Nationwide Arena. Backup goaltender Joonas Korpisalo has started three games during the current winning streak and has fared well in the process, which comes at the same time as a report that starter Sergei Bobrovsky is willing to waive his no-trade clause. Artemi Panarin, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Cam Atkinson, who make up Columbus’ top line, all have three points in the past four contests.
The Canadiens have also received a boost from their backup netminder, as Antti Niemi made a career-best 52 saves in Tuesday’s 5-1 triumph over Florida for his third win in a row. Starter Carey Price is expected to return to the crease tonight, however, and the British Columbia native will look to improve on a career 7-3-1 record with a 2.07 goals-against average against Columbus. Montreal’s league-worst power play has been brutal this season, evidenced by the club going 2-for-23 over its past nine games.
Who has the edge on the puckline?
Betting trends are pointing to an UNDER in this one. In the Blue Jackets’ past 11 home games, the UNDER is 8-3 with an average combined score of 5.5 goals. The UNDER is also 8-1 in the Canadiens’ previous nine tilts with an average combined score of 4.1 goals.
The Blue Jackets and Canadiens are trending in opposite directions when it comes to covering the puckline. The Blue Jackets are 1-7 on the puckline in their previous eight against teams with winning records, while the Canadiens are 11-1 on the puckline in their previous 12 on the road vs winning teams. Columbus’ -1.5 spread can be had for +165 at Sportsbook, and Montreal’s +1.5 number is available for -190 at the shop.
My pick: take the UNDER
The Blue Jackets have proven to be a reliable UNDER wager when playing at home, and the Habs have been going UNDER totals on their own of late. Price’s numbers against the Blue Jackets have been excellent and both teams are on UNDER tears right now, so expect a low-scoring affair in this one.
