The Winnipeg Jets will be looking to snap a five-game losing streak when they take on the Montréal Canadiens on Friday. Montréal is struggling as well, losers of three of their last four games.
Here you can find the best picks, news, and stats for this North Division battle at Bell Centre. Montréal is the favorite at -115. This according to PointsBet Sportsbook, which puts the odds Winnipeg at -105 as the underdog.
Winnipeg will be without Nikolaj Ehlers who was lost for the season a couple of days ago. Adam Lowry is listed as questionable. Montréal will be without No. 1 goaltender Carey Price. Forwards Paul Byron and Tomas Tater are both listed as questionable for the Canadiens.
Scoring Woes Continue for Jets in Loss to Oilers
Winnipeg scored a single goal for the third straight game in their 3-1 lost Edmonton on Wednesday. Blake Wheeler had the lone tally for the Jets. Connor Hellebuyck played well in the net, stopping 24 of 26 shots. During the five-game losing streak, the Jets have scored six total goals.
Winnipeg is 12th in the NHL in goals per game at 3.06 and is ninth in shooting percentage at 10.3%. They are fourth on the power-play at 23.4%. The Jets are led in scoring by Mark Scheifele with 55 points, but he has points in just two of his last five games. Kyle Connor leads the team in goals with 22.
Winnipeg is 14th in goals allowed per game at 2.78 and they are 14th in penalty killing at 80.2%. Count on Hellebuyck being back between the pipes on Friday. He is 21-15-3 with a 2.68 GAA and a .913 save percentage.
Canadiens Fall to Archrivals
Montreal fell behind Toronto 3-0 before eventually losing, 4-1. It was a disappointing loss on many levels, including the fact that it clinched a playoff berth for the Maple Leafs. Nick Suzuki scored the only goal for Montréal. Jake Allen allowed four goals on 29 shots.
Montréal is 14th in goals per game at 2.83 and are 21st in shooting percentage at 9.0%. The power-play is 21st in the NHL at 19.1%. Tyler Toffoli leads the team in goals with 25 and points with 36. Jeff Petry leads in assist with 23 and has 34 total points.
The Canadiens are 15th in goals allowed per game at 2.85 and are 25th in penalty killing at 77.1%. It will be Allen between the pipes. He is 9-10-4 with a 2.56 GAA and a .911 save percentage.
Trends:
Winnipeg:
- 0-5 in their last five games.
- 0-4 in their last four games when playing on one day’s rest.
Montréal:
- 11-5 in their last 16 games on Friday.
- 5-1 in their last six games following a loss of three goals or more.
This is one of those situations where you go with the team that is either hot or not. While Winnipeg is 4-1 in their last five games in Montréal, they have also played terribly of late and simply cannot score goals right now. Allen is providing solid enough goaltending to give Montréal a clear advantage here.
Pick: Take Montréal at -115.
The Total:
These teams have gone over in five of the last six meetings, but Winnipeg has gone under in three of their last five games while Montréal has gone under in five of their last six games at home. The Canadiens have scored seven total goals over their last four games while Winnipeg has scored six goals over their last five. A low-scoring affair seems like an absolute certainty.
Pick: Go under 5.5 at -115.