Detroit Red Wings vs. Montreal Canadiens Prediction, NHL Odds
With the Wings six points behind the Habs for the final wildcard spot in the East, this matchup has huge playoff implications on both sides. Montreal will be looking to extend its win streak to six games, while Detroit is coming off of back-to-back impressive wins of its own.
The Canadiens are the -130 favourite to win Tuesday night on the NHL odds. The game total is sitting at 5.5 goals. Puck drop from the Bell Centre in downtown Montreal is set for 7:00 PM ET.
Red Wings vs. Canadiens NHL Betting Odds
This will be the fourth and final meeting between the original six foes, with the Canadiens up two games to one. Detroit won their most recent matchup back in January, and every game has featured at least six goals, going 1-0-2 on the OVER/UNDER. The Habs have been great on home ice this season, going 21-12-5, including a current 8-0-1 run since February 25th. The Wings have won just one of their past nine road games, dropping them to 15-17-4 heading into a three-game road trip.
Detroit covered the spread in three of their past five, with four of those games decided by a single goal. They have a 44-32 record on the spread this season, which is one of the best in the Conference. Goal scoring has been slow for the Wings lately, scoring just 2.5 goals per game in their past six. On the flip side, their defence has been solid, allowing opponents to score three or fewer in each of their past four games.
Montreal’s five-game heater has been pushed along by solid defensive play, allowing just eight goals in those five games. They have played the UNDER in each of their last four games, putting them at 38-34-5 on the OVER/UNDER this season. They have been the favourite more often in the last few weeks than ever before, but still have an impressive 44-33 record against the spread.
Detroit Red Wings
Detroit took down back-to-back playoff teams headed into Tuesday after beating the Carolina Hurricanes, followed by the Florida Panthers on Sunday to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Sunday’s game got off to a slow start, with a scoreless first period, before Alex DeBrincat’s (35) power-play marker broke the ice. J.T. Compher (10) scored again a few minutes later to put the Wings up 2-0, headed to the third. The Panthers scored one with their net empty to get back within one, but ran out of time, taking the 2-1 loss.
Cam Talbot has been great for Detroit lately, but turned in his best performance in months, stopping 32 of the 33 shots he faced. He has started the past three games and stopped over 30 shots in each outing.
A win on Tuesday would bring them within four points of the Canadiens with a game in hand for the final spot in the postseason. After the Canadiens, the Wings will go to Florida for a back-to-back with the Panthers and Lightning. It will be an uphill climb, but not out of the question for the playoffs.
Montreal Canadiens
The second half of the season keeps getting better for the Canadiens, who just won their fifth game in a row in Nashville on Sunday night. The NHL’s second-youngest team has been playing like veterans, finding ways to win games on a regular basis. After beating the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday at home, the Habs rushed to Nashville to play Sunday, their fourth game in six days.
They looked slow in the first and fell behind 1-0 in the first five minutes. They found their legs in the second, as their snipers: Cole Caufield (36) and Patrik Laine (20) both found the back of the net, just over four minutes apart. After getting the 2-1 lead, the team leaned on rookie goalie Jakub Dobes to get them the win, and he did not disappoint. Dobes turned away 36 shots in that one as the Habs were outgunned 37-17.
With five games left on the schedule, Montreal needs to stay focused to get back in the postseason for the first time since 2021. After Detroit, there is just one more non-playoff team to face. If they can stay hot, catching Ottawa just five points ahead might not be out of question.
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