The Montreal Canadiens will host the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday in an Atlantic Division match-up. In the division, Detroit comes into the game with a 4-3-2 record overall and an impressive 7-2 record against the Puck Line. The Canadiens are last in the eight-team division with a 2-8 record and 3-7 against the Pluck Line.
These teams have already met once this season, with Montreal winning at home 6-1 as a -182 home favorite on October 23.
Detroit will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak after falling to Florida 3-2 at home Thursday and 5-4 to Toronto on the road Friday. The Red Wings are averaging 3.22 goals per game and allowing 3.44. Unfortunately, the Red Wings will face Montreal without left-wing Tyler Bertuzzi ( 6 goals, 3 assists), tied for the team lead with nine points in seven games. Bertuzzi also did not play in the loss to Toronto due to Canadian provincial regulations regarding COVID-19. He is projected to return to the lineup on Thursday in Boston. Right-wing Lucas Raymond has played in all nine games for Detroit this season and also has nine points (4 goals, 5 assists)
After ending last season by advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals and losing in five games to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Canadiens got off to a terrible start dropping their first five games. Montreal has struggled to score, averaging just 1.9 goals per game, which is fourth-worst in the NHL, while allowing 3.4 goals per game, tied for the fourth-most. Left-wing Jonathan Drouin leads the team with seven points (2 goals, 5 assists) and had two assists against the Red Wings in the Canadieans’ first win of the season.
Pick: OVER 5.5
Despite being one of the worst offensive teams in the NHL so far, the total has gone over in four of the last five Canadiens games, with at least six combined goals scored in those contests. I expect to see a stronger offensive performance from Montreal in this game, as they face a Red Wings team that they put up six goals against just over a week ago and has allowed the third-highest amount of goals per game this season. The Red Wings are also no slouch offensively, as they have scored three goals or more in three of their last four games.
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