Montreal Canadiens vs. Detroit Red Wings Prediction, NHL Odds
Detroit is a -128 favourite on the NHL odds with a total of 6.5 goals.
Canadiens vs. Red Wings NHL Betting Odds
The NHL’s schedule-makers really did Montreal no favours with three road games over four nights – all against Original Six foes — to kick off the season before the home opener next Tuesday vs. Seattle. After losing in Toronto on Wednesday and then this trip to Motown, the Habs are in Chicago on Saturday.
This marks the first full season as Red Wings coach for Todd McLellan. The franchise fired coach Derek Lalonde the day after Christmas last year at 13-17-4 and replaced him with McLellan. It’s his fourth NHL head coaching job after stints with San Jose, Edmonton and Los Angeles. Detroit was much better under McLellan at 26-18-4 last year but just missed out on the playoffs and hasn’t played extra hockey since 2016. This writer thinks that streak ends next spring, but oddsmakers don’t agree with the Red Wings at +260 for the playoffs and no at -320.
Montreal won the 2024-25 season series 3-1 and was 1-1 in Detroit. Brendan Gallagher (2G, 2A), Jake Evans (2G, 2A) and Nick Suzuki (1G, 3A) led the Canadiens with four points each. Sam Montembeault started all four in net and had a 2.28 goals-against average and .931 save per centage, but he will not be in there Wednesday. Moritz Seider (3A) and Dylan Larkin (2G, 1A) led Detroit with three points each in last season’s series. Cam Talbot was 1-2-0 with a 2.72 GAA and .901 SV and Alex Lyon allowed five goals in a loss in his lone start. Talbot will be a big part of this year’s team, but Lyon is gone.
Montreal Canadiens
Habs forward Ivan Demidov, the +180 favourite to win the Calder Trophy, was in some question for Wednesday’s season opener in Toronto due to injury but played in the 5-2 loss. The Leafs outscored Montreal 3-0 in the third. Oliver Kapanen (shorthanded) and Zack Bolduc had the Canadiens’ goals. Demidov was -1 in 13:21. The Habs outshot the Leafs but were dominated in the faceoff circle and 0-for-2 on the power play. Appears as if the team got out of that injury-free. Because Sam Montembeault started Wednesday, it will be No. 2 Jakub Dobes in net here. The 24-year-old was very solid as a rookie last season at 7-4-3 with a 2.74 GAA, .909 SV and one shutout. Dobes struggled in four starts in Montreal but was 6-3-2 with a 2.23 GAA and .922 SV in 11 road starts. He hasn’t faced Detroit. The Canadiens are 3-6 in their past nine in the Motor City.
Detroit Red Wings
This is the 100th season of Red Wings hockey. Detroit was fairly quiet overall this off-season after finishing with 86 points last year, five out of the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot earned by Montreal. The Wings were 22-16-3 on home ice. GM Steve Yzerman’s one major move over the summer was acquiring veteran goalie John Gibson from Anaheim in exchange for fellow goalie Petr Mrázek, a 2026 fourth-round pick and 2027 second-rounder. The 32-year-old Gibson, an American, posted an 11-11-2 record with a 2.77 GAA and a .912 SV in 29 appearances with the Ducks in 2024-25. He didn’t face Montreal and is 7-2-1 in 10 career starts vs. the Canadiens with a 2.29 GAA and .927 SV. Another off-season addition, veteran winger James Van Riemsdyk, missed most of training camp due to a personal matter and it’s not clear if he will play. The 36-year-old former Maple Leaf had 36 points in 71 games last year for Columbus. Detroit is 6-1 in its past seven at home.
