The Montreal Canadiens (17-18-3) travel to face off against the Colorado Avalanche (24-15-0) on Saturday, January 4th. This game will be played at Ball Arena in Denver and televised on ESPN+. Both the Canadiens and Avalanche will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 ET.

Canadiens vs Avalanche

The Montreal Canadiens Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Montreal’s 3-1 loss to the Penguins dropped them to 17-18-3 this season. The Canadiens entered as underdogs on the puck line, and the total of 4 goals fell short of the 6.5 set before the game.

All of the scoring came after the 4:03 mark in the first period, with Montreal’s lone goal from Christian Dvorak coming at 14:28 in the third. The Canadiens’ defense allowed a goal in each period, including an empty-netter with 0:45 left in the game.

The Colorado Avalanche Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

With a 5-2 loss to the Predators, the Avalanche now sit at 24-15-0 for the season. The total for the game was set at 6.5 goals, and the combined 7 goals pushed the game over. Colorado, as underdogs on the puck line, failed to cover.

Colorado took the lead at 17:06 in the second period, but the Predators responded with five unanswered goals. Two of Nashville’s goals came with an empty net.

Montreal Offense Breakdown

Montreal’s offense struggled in a 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh, with Christian Dvorak netting his first goal of the season at 14:28 in the third period. Juraj Slafkovsky picked up his 7th assist, while Emil Heineman earned his first assist on Dvorak’s goal.

The Canadiens fired 26 shots on goal but were held scoreless through the first two periods. They recorded 20 giveaways and failed to convert on any power play opportunities.

Avalanche Offense Breakdown

In their 5-2 loss to Nashville, Colorado took 30 shots on goal but only found the net twice. Cale Makar opened the scoring with his fifth goal of the season, a power-play goal in the second period. Nathan MacKinnon added his sixth goal, scoring with 2:17 left in the game.

MacKinnon also picked up his 14th assist on Makar’s goal, while Makar earned his 16th assist on MacKinnon’s late tally. The Avalanche recorded 23 giveaways in the game.

Montreal Team Defense

Montreal’s defense gave up the first two goals of the game, one at 15:57 in the first period and another at 18:40 in the second. The Canadiens cut the deficit to 2-1 in the third, but they conceded an empty-netter with 45 seconds left. Sam Montembeault made 21 saves with a 91.3% save percentage, and the defense added 4 takeaways and 28 hits.

Colorado Team Defense

Despite taking a 1-0 lead, the Avalanche allowed five goals to the Predators, including two empty-netters. Justus Annunen made 21 saves with an 87.5% save percentage. Defensively, Colorado recorded 11 takeaways and 26 hits.

Canadiens vs Avalanche Trends

• Across their last three road contests, Montreal has been good against the puck line posting a mark of 2-1. Their overall mark in these games was 2-1, while averaging 3 goals per game.
• In their last five home games, Colorado has averaged 4 goals per game while allowing 3. The team’s record in this stretch was 4-1 while going 3-2 vs. the spread.
• Going back to their last ten games as the underdog, the Avalanche have a straight up record of 3-7. But, their mark vs the puck line was just 4-6.
• In their last five games as the betting favorite, the Canadiens have a strong straight up record of 4-1. In addition, their puck line record was 3-2 in these scenarios.

Canadiens vs Avalanche Prediction

To those searching for a pure moneyline wager, the Avalanche is the clear pick. Still, with a payout of -300, it’s worth thinking about including this bet in a parlay.

If you’re looking for a puck line bet, I’d suggest going with the Canadiens to cover. Even in the event of a Avalanche victory, this game is expected to be closely fought, and the Canadiens should cover the puck line.

When considering the over/under line, which is currently at 6.5 goals, we believe that this game will go over that threshold, and we recommend wagering on the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.