Canadiens vs Jets Odds
| Canadiens Odds | +205 |
| Jets Odds | -255 |
| Over / Under | 5.5 -142/ +116 |
Here's everything you need to know about Canadiens vs Jets on Monday, Dec. 18 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
These two teams squared off earlier this season in October when Montreal pulled off the upset in a 4-3 shootout victory. In fact, the Habs have won seven of the past 10 meetings between these two Canadian teams.
Will Montreal pull off the upset once again, or can Winnipeg take care of business on home ice?
Let's dig into the NHL odds and make a Canadiens vs Jets prediction and pick.
Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens are coming off Saturday's 5-3 upset road victory over the New York Islanders, and they are live to pull off another upset on Monday evening as well. Goaltender Sam Montembeault took the crease in that matchup and is expected to do so once again in this outing.
Montembeault has flown under the radar as one of the better netminders in the league this season. Through 14 appearances between the pipes, he is 7-4-2 with a .911 SV% and 2.80 GAA.
This success is likely to continue against Winnipeg, a team he boasts a .927 SV% and 2.31 GAA over his past three starts. While the Habs' offense has certainly had its issues this year, they still rank higher than the Jets in Expected Goals For per 60 minutes (xGF/60) at 5-on-5.
The better players on this team, like Cole Caufield and Josh Anderson, have undoubtedly struggled. However, those are two talented players who won't underperform for too much longer, and we should expect positive regression as the season continues.
Winnipeg Jets
The big news out of Winnipeg this week is that star forward Kyle Connor will miss the next 6-8 weeks due to a knee injury. That is a massive blow for a team that is already due for major regression in the goal-scoring department.
At 5-on-5, the Jets rank 27th in the league in xGF/60. This expected regression is certainly amplified without their best sniper in the lineup.
As is typically the case with this team, they go as far as goaltender Connor Hellebuyck takes them. He will certainly be the biggest obstacle in this game for Montreal, but Hellebuyck did struggle in his last game against the Habs.
In that outing, he saved just 24 of the 28 shots he faced for a .857 SV% en route to the Canadiens' 4-1 victory.
Canadiens vs Jets
Betting Pick & Prediction
Montreal has controlled this matchup over the past few seasons as it has won seven of the past 10 meetings. At the long price of +190, it is worth taking a shot on the Habs to pull off the upset against Winnipeg for the second time.
Maximize your Canadiens vs. Jets action with our DraftKings promo code.
That price is available via DraftKings and is five-to-20 cents longer than the rest of the market at the time of writing. Montreal's offense may struggle to get past Hellebuyck often, but it did the last time against him, and Montembeault is more than capable of keeping up with him across the ice.
The loss of Connor will also make Montembeault's job much easier. Finally, Caufield and company will positively regress as the season continues to unfold, and he may have gotten the monkey off his back following his goal in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Islanders.
Pick: Canadiens ML (+190 at DraftKings | Play to +175)
