The NHL season continues with a 9-game slate on Saturday, January 7, and we have this inter-conference duel in Montreal, so make sure you read the best Blues vs. Canadiens betting pick and odds.

Montreal is desperate to avoid the eighth straight loss when they welcome St. Louis at Bell Centre. The Blues are -200 moneyline favorites on BetOnline Sportsbook, while the total is set at 6.5 goals. These inter-conference rivals have met once this year, and the Canadiens won 7-4 in St. Louis.

Blues opened the road trip with a pair of wins

The St. Louis Blues (19-17-2-1, 19-20 ATS) are currently on a four-game road trip and they opened it with a couple of wins over the Toronto Maple Leafs and New Jersey Devils. Following a 6-5 shootout victory against the Leafs, the Blues beat the Devils 5-3, even though they attempted just 19 shots, but luckily for them, New Jersey’s goalie Akira Schmid wasn’t playing a good game. St. Louis will meet Montreal and Minnesota and then will stay home for seven games.

The Blues took their chances in a win over the Devils, unlike the hosts, who had 39 shots. Jordan Binnington was solid with 36 saves. Pavel Buchnevich and Robert Thomas led the Blues with three points apiece; Thomas bagged a pair of goals, while Ivan Barbashev and Brandon Saad contributed two points each. Thus far in the season, Jordan Kyrou leads St. Louis with 38 points (G 19, A 19), Thomas is right behind with 37 (G 10, A 27), and Buchnevich has 32 points (G 12, A 20).

Jordan Binnington (15-12-3) is a probable goaltender for St. Louis against Montreal on Saturday. The 29-year-old is allowing 3.21 goals per game this year with a .894 SV% and two shutouts.

C Ryan O’Reilly (foot), D Marco Scandella (hip), D Torey Krug (lower body), RW Vladimir Tarasenko (hand), C Logan Brown (upper body), and D Scott Perunovich (shoulder) are out indefinitely.

Canadiens’ offense wasn’t a factor against the Rangers

The Montreal Canadiens (15-21-3-0, 18-21 ATS) returned home from a seven-game road trip with six consecutive defeats and that negative streak continued with a home loss to the New York Rangers. The Canadiens opened a four-game homestay with a 4-1 loss against the Rangers after which they remained in the 15th place in the Eastern Conference. Only the Blue Jackets have a worse record than Montreal at the moment.

Montreal deserved to lose to the Rangers. The visitors got to a 3-0 lead in the second period, and although the hosts answered with one goal through Joel Armia, his first of the season, that was all from the Habs. This year, Nick Suzuki is the team’s leader with 32 points (G 15, A 17), while Cole Caufield is following him with 31 (G 22, A 9).

Jake Allen (9-16-1) is likely going to take his place in the cage against the Blues on Saturday. The 32-year-old is surrendering 3.50 goals per contest this season along with a .894 SV% and no shutouts.

G Carey Price (knee), LW Paul Byron (hip), C Sean Monahan (lower body), D Mike Matheson (lower body), and D Kaiden Guhle (leg) are out indefinitely. RW Brendan Gallagher (undisclosed) is questionable to face the Blues on Saturday.

Trends:

St. Louis:

  • 6-2 in the last eight road games
  • 19-7 in the last 26 vs. a team with a losing record
  • 13-6 in the last 19 games following a win

Montreal:

  • 4-12 in the last 16 games following a home loss of three or more goals
  • 12-39 in the last 51 after scoring two goals or less in their previous game

St. Louis Blues vs. Montreal Canadiens Pick  

Montreal has one of the weakest offenses in the NHL that is averaging 2.56 goals per game, while the Canadiens also have one of the worst defenses that allows 3.80 goals per contest. Although the Blues are not great defensively as Binnington is going through the worst season of his career, the Blues are still better on both offense and defense than Montreal, and I am backing them to get a win here. The Habs allowed 4+ goals in each of their previous six games, while the Blues scored 11 in their last two, so it’s clear who is in better form at the moment.

Pick: Take the Blues at -1.5 Puck Line (+115)

The Total

The Blues owe one to the Habs for a 7-4 defeat in St. Louis earlier in the season and I am sure the visitors will fill Allen’s goal to the top in this encounter. Their offense is playing well lately while Montreal’s defense has been criminal, so I’d be surprised if St. Louis fails to score 4+ goals here. Over is 20-6-2 in the Blues’ last 28 vs. Atlantic Division rivals; Over is 6-0-1 in St. Louis’ previous seven games following a win, while Over is 7-1-1 in the Canadiens’ last nine Saturday games.

Pick: Go Over 6.5 goals (-110)