Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Montreal Canadiens Prediction, NHL Odds
A game with potentially huge Eastern Conference playoff seeding ramifications is one of the highlights of a busy Thursday slate as the Columbus Blue Jackets visit Montreal for the first time this season. The Canadiens are -120 on the NHL odds with a total of 6.5 goals.
Blue Jackets vs. Canadiens NHL Betting Odds
Both these clubs should make the Eastern Conference playoffs, but it’s not a done deal for either. As of this writing, Columbus sits second in the Metropolitan and Montreal third in the Atlantic, and both of those would ensure a spot the post-season. Important to finish at least second in the division if possible to get home-ice advantage in Round 1.
Neither the Blue Jackets nor Canadiens are comfortably ahead of the two East wild-card teams currently, and clubs like Detroit and the New York Islanders are just outside the field. So this may go down to the wire, but the books favour extra hockey. Montreal is -700 to return to the post-season and Columbus is -330.
The Blue Jackets haven’t been there since 2020 and things didn’t look promising this season until coach Dean Evason was fired in January and replaced by Rick Bowness, who has completely turned things around but probably got too late a start to win the Jack Adams Award as Coach of the Year.
Thursday marks the second of three meetings between the clubs and Columbus’ first venture to Montreal, where it will return on April 11 in what could be a massive game. The Blue Jackets won the first matchup, 4-3 in a shootout at home Nov. 17. The Habs scored twice in the third to force OT, but Kirill Marchenko scored the deciding goal of the shootout. Jet Greaves finished with 29 saves, while Jakub Dobes took the loss.
Montreal is still 7-3 in the past 10 meetings, and the over-under is 6-4.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Columbus won for the fifth time in six games Tuesday, 3-2 in Philadelphia, to improve to 18-14-4 on the road. Star blueliner Zach Werenski, a big part of Team USA’s gold-medal team in the Italy Olympics, was the No. 1 star with a goal and assist to boost his odds of winning his first Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenceman to -340. It was also Werenski’s 25th multi-point game of the season to tie Artemi Panarin (in 2018-19) for the most such in a season in Blue Jackets history. Werenski got to 25 in his 64th game played to tie future Hall of Famer and former Norris winner Erik Karlsson (2022-23) for the fewest games by any NHL blueliner to reach the mark in the past 35 years. Goalie Jet Graves stopped 24 of 26 shots to improve to 12-1-2 with a 2.24 GAA and .915 SV since Jan. 11 He also stopped a penalty shot, marking the 17th of the last 18 penalty shots that Blue Jackets goalies have stopped dating to 2010. It’s possible Elvis Merzlikins gets a turn Friday. Columbus is quite healthy but 1-4 in its past five in Montreal.
Montreal Canadiens
Montreal is 2-0 on this three-game homestand and has won each by at least three goals following a 5-2 rout of an excellent Carolina team on Tuesday, easily one of the best games of the season for the Canadiens. Especially since they trailed 2-0 in the first but staged a 24th comeback win, tied for the most in a season in franchise history along with the 1992-93 and 1975-76 clubs. Cole Caufield had one of the goals for No. 44 this season, most for a Montreal player since Stephane Richer had 51 in 1989-90. Rookie Ivan Demidov had a goal and assist and would win the Calder Trophy in most seasons but won’t this one with the Islanders’ Matthew Schaefer having a historic campaign. It was Demidov’s 14th career multi-point game, one shy of Alex Galchenyuk, Richer and Guy Lafleur for the fourth most by a Canadiens player age 20 or younger. Juraj Slafkovsky also had a goal and assist to extend his points streak to seven games (11 points). Winger Josh Anderson returned after missing two games but didn’t score in 12:43. Jakub Dobes was in net Tuesday and likely goes again Thursday. He’s now a stellar 14-5-0 on home ice with a 2.67 GAA. The Habs are 13-5 in their past 18 at Bell Centre.
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