Columbus Blue Jackets at Montreal Canadiens Betting Preview/Prop Pick

There are a handful of games on the NHL schedule for Sunday night, and one of those games will feature a pair of struggling teams in Montreal. The Canadiens are set to host the Columbus Blue Jackets, and this has been a miserable season for each franchise.

Columbus has picked up just 39 total points on the year, and that is good enough for fifth place in the Metropolitan Division. The Blue Jackets just recently suffered through a three-game losing streak, and they are struggling in several areas.

Montreal has been one of the worst teams in the league this season as they have racked up just 23 total points. The Canadiens have lost five straight games, and playing at home has not really helped this team out along the way.

The Columbus Blue Jackets are the betting favorites at -137 on the moneyline.

Columbus Can’t Get Stops

The Blue Jackets have not had much trouble scoring goals this season, but the defense has let them down more often than not. Columbus is currently allowing 3.6 goals per game, and it’s not hard to see how this team has struggled to win games. 

Elvis Merzlikins does have a winning record for the Blue Jackets, but he doesn’t really have any help in net. Columbus is a team that is allowing over 3.6 goals per game this season, and they don’t have the offense to keep up.

Center Boone Jenner leads the way for Columbus with 18 goals and 30 points on the year. The Blue Jackets are scoring 3.0 goals per game, but it hasn’t been enough to allow them to win games.

Montreal Can’t Score

The Canadiens come into Sunday night scoring just 2.2 goals per game, and this team has been even worse of that in recent games. To make matters worse, Montreal is giving up nearly 3.9 goals per game, and they just haven’t been able to compete with most teams in the league.

Nick Suzuki leads the Canadiens with 25 points on the year, but he is going to need someone else to step up. Montreal will get some chances to score on Sunday night, but they have to sneak some past the Columbus goaltenders. 

Montreal has allowed 27 goals during this current five-game losing streak, and keeping the Blue Jackets off the board in the first period will allow the Canadiens to put some pressure on their opponent. 

Blue Jackets Blow Out Canadiens

The Canadiens clearly have a number of issues this season, but the lack of offense is a serious problem. Montreal is playing a pretty poor defensive team in this game, but don’t expect them to do much scoring. 

Despite having a pretty poor record, Columbus does actually have some talent on that roster. This will be a solid chance for the Blue Jackets to pick up a road win and could potentially lead to more momentum. 

Take the Columbus Blue Jackets -1.5 as this game is never close as the visitors roll to a win.

Prop Pick

Columbus (+250) OVER 4.5 Goals

Montreal is allowing 3.9 goals per game, which ranks No. 32 in the league. Scores have gone OVER in six of the Canadiens’ last seven games overall and six of their last seven as an underdog. Additionally, scores have gone OVER in nine of the Blue Jackets’ last 11 games as a favorite.

With Dunkel predicting a Columbus win by the score of 5-3, take the Blue Jackets (+250) to finish OVER their Vegas team total of 4.5 goals against the Canadiens.

Keep up with your latest NHL news coverage and betting pick previews at The Dunkel Index.