Montreal Canadiens vs. Columbus Blue Jackets November 17 Betting Preview

After dispatching the Philadelphia Flyers in overtime and winning the head-to-head season series against the Flyers, the Columbus Blue Jackets welcome the Montreal Canadiens to Ohio. This is the Canadiens and Blue Jackets’ first head-to-head matchup of three this season.

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Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Preview

The Columbus Blue Jackets might not win every game, but as long as they compete, we’ve got good CBJ hockey to watch. You can’t take this team lightly, even with their injury issues and lack of scoring depth.

The Blue Jackets improved their record to 5-9-1 with the overtime win over the Flyers. The lack of scoring depth wasn’t an issue as Eric Robinson and Sean Kurlay scored, while Boone Jenner added two goals. Vladislav Gavrikov scored the overtime winner.

Elvis Merzlikins is listed as day-to-day and is unlikely to get the start. Merzlikins and Joonas Korpisalo split the time, goals, and saves fairly evenly - statistically speaking - to help CBJ get the win over Philly.

Joonas Korpisalo must be the striating goalie for CBJ in this matchup with Montreal. Korpisalo has been good since returning to the lineup, with a 2-1-1 record, a 3.69 goals-against average, and a .910 save percentage.

After the win, the Blue Jackets are now averaging 2.87 goals per game while giving up 4.33 goals per game. As usual, the penalty killers are plugging along, giving up nine goals on the season (78.6%).

The good news is the powerplay is alive. CBJ added another powerplay goal moving their total to four and a 10.5% powerplay conversion rate. Oh, how far we’ve come since the powerplay went zero-for-forever to start the season.

Montreal Canadiens Betting Preview

The Montreal Canadiens have a record of 8-7-1. They had a three-game winning streak snapped in their last game against the New Jersey Devils, losing 5-1.

The Canadiens didn’t get much help from their normal offensive weapons, as Evgenii Dadonov scored the only goal for Montreal, his first of the year. Jake Allen made thirty-four saves in the loss.

The Canadiens have had a regular goaltending rotation, so we expect that rotation to continue. If the rotation remains, Sam Montembeault will get the start. As the Canadiens’ backup, Montembeault has a 3-1-1 record, with a 2.38 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage.

Nick Suzuki is Montreal’s leading scorer with nineteen points (ten goals, nine assists). The Canadiens are better than expected this season, averaging 2.94 goals per game and 3.31 against.

However, the Canadiens’ special teams have only been slightly better than CBJ’s. Montreal’s powerplay has scored seven goals (15.6%), while the penalty kill has given up eleven goals (79.6%).

Canadiens vs. Blue Jackets Odds

The Montreal Canadiens are listed at (-108) odds, while the Columbus Blue Jackets are listed at (-113) odds on the moneyline.

Montreal is listed at +1.5 on the spread with (-271) odds. Columbus is listed at -1.5, with (+215) odds. The Montreal Canadiens have a 9-7 record against the spread, while the Blue Jackets are 6-9 against the spread.

Our Prediction

On paper, the Montreal Canadiens are the better team and should win this game on the moneyline. However, Montreal can’t sleep on CBJ, or they will leave the state with a loss.

Regardless of how this game ends, we’re taking CBJ to cover the spread of +1.5. Even if the Blue Jackets lose, Korpisalo will keep it close enough to cover.

We also like the over in this game. The Canadiens and Blue Jackets have both exceeded total goals of 6.5 in three of their last five games.