The NHL season continues with a nine-game slate on Tuesday, February 21, and here you can get the best Canadiens vs. Devils betting pick and odds.

New Jersey is looking for the third straight win, while Montreal is hoping to avoid the third defeat in a row when they meet at Prudential Center. The Devils are firm -350 moneyline favorites on BookMaker Sportsbook, while the total is set at 6.5 goals. These conference rivals will meet for the second time this season; the Devils won 5-1 in Montreal back in November.

Canadiens couldn’t stop the Maple Leafs in Toronto

The Montreal Canadiens (23-29-4-0, 29-27 ATS) bounced back from a four-game losing skid with three straight victories but returned to losing ways on the road. The Habs opened their four-game road trip with defeats to the Carolina Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs, allowing 11 goals and scoring only three on the other end in the process. Montreal will conclude the current road trip against the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday. Right now, the Canadiens have 50 points, nine more above the bottom-placed Columbus Blue Jackets in the East.

Josh Anderson gave Montreal a 1-0 lead early in the second period in Toronto, but the Leafs then scored five consecutive goals and deservedly celebrated a 5-1 victory. The hosts had 41 shots opposite Montreal’s 30. This season, Nick Suzuki is the only Canadien among the top 100 players in the NHL when it comes to points. He collected 42 (G 17, A 25) thus far.

Sam Montembeault (11-11-2) is a confirmed goaltender against the Devils on Tuesday. The 26-year-old is allowing 3.29 goals per game this season along with a .906 SV% and no shutouts.

G Carey Price (knee), LW Paul Byron (hip), RW Brendan Gallagher (lower body), C Sean Monahan (upper body), D Joel Edmundson (upper body), and C Jake Evans (lower body) are out indefinitely and will not play in New Jersey on Tuesday.

Devils opened a home stand with a win

The New Jersey Devils (37-14-3-2, 31-25 ATS) won six of the previous eight games and are attacking the 2nd place in the Eastern Conference as they are right behind the Carolina Hurricanes. The Devils came back home from a four-game road trip on which they recorded a pair of wins and opened a three-game homestay with a 4-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. New Jersey is now 3rd in the EC standings with 79 points, three behind the Canes and 12 behind the leaders Boston Bruins.

The Devils trailed 2-1 to the Jets after the first period but scored three straight goals in the final frame to get a 4-2 win. Dawson Mercer grabbed a couple of goals for the hosts, while Erik Haula recorded two dishes. Jack Hughes, who recently returned from an injury, is still New Jersey’s top offensive producer this year with 69 points (G 35, A 34). Jesper Bratt (G 22, A 32) and Dougie Hamilton (G 16, A 38) have 54 apiece, while Nico Hischier contributes 52 points (G 23, A 29).

Vitek Vanecek (24-5-3) is expected to take his place in the cage against Montreal on Tuesday. The 27-year-old is surrendering 2.30 goals per contest this season with a .917 SV% and two shutouts.

G Jonathan Bernier (hip) is out indefinitely and will not feature on Tuesday against the Canadiens.

Trends:

Montreal:

  • 7-19 in the last 26 games playing on two days of rest
  • 0-6 in the last six when their opponent allows two goals or less in their previous game
  • 12-26 in the last 38 vs. Metropolitan Division rivals

New Jersey:

  • 6-0 in the last six home games
  • 6-0 in the last six vs. Eastern Conference opponents
  • 4-0 in the last four in the third game of a 3-in-4 situation

Montreal Canadiens vs. New Jersey Devils Pick

At the moment, the difference between these teams is big. The Canadiens are the fourth-worst team in both offense and defense, while the Devils are in the top 6 in both segments. Montreal scores 2.63 goals per game opposite New Jersey’s 3.46 gpg, while the Devils concede 2.63 gpg opposite the Canadiens’ 3.66 gpg. With all the injuries and the fact that they lost ten of the previous 11 games, I can only expect the Habs to suffer a blowout loss in New Jersey on Tuesday. On the other hand, the devils have been excellent at home recently (six wins in a row).

Pick: Take the Devils at -1.5 Puck Line (-135)

The Total

Montreal allowed 16 goals and scored just three in the previous three road games, and given the Devils didn’t concede more than two goals in each of their last four games, I don’t expect the visitors to be highly efficient here. Still, a pair of goals from the Habs will help us win the Over bet as I am backing New Jersey to contribute at least four. They already put five against Montreal this season. Over is 5-2 in the last seven H2H meetings, while Over is 5-2 in the previous seven H2H duels in New Jersey.

Pick: Go Over 6.5 goals (-110)