Montreal Canadiens vs. New Jersey Devils Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 7th 2024
Preview and Prediction
The New Jersey Devils have responded positively after a four-game stretch without a win.
Having won three of their last four games, the Devils will aim to add to the Montreal Canadiens' struggles on Thursday when the two teams face off in Newark, New Jersey.
Montreal has suffered four consecutive losses and has only won two of their last ten games (2-6-2) after falling to the Calgary Flames in overtime on Tuesday with a score of 3-2.
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Former Canadiens goalie Jake Allen saved all 31 shots he faced, leading the Devils to a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday. This was Allen's second shutout of the season and the second for the Devils during their three-game trip through Western Canada.
"Our team put in a solid effort throughout the trip," said New Jersey coach Sheldon Keefe. "We had two shutouts (including a 6-0 win against Vancouver on October 30th), and we were only five minutes away from another one in Calgary. There are definitely areas where we need to improve, but we are learning how to win these types of games and how to protect a lead."
Allen credited fellow goalie Jacob Markstrom's approach in his last two games as a key factor in his success on Monday.
"I tried to take a page out of (Markstrom's) book in his last two games," Allen said. "He played with a lot more composure than in previous games and he looked great in his last two games."
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist on Monday, bringing his point total to nine (two goals, seven assists) in his last eight games. Bratt leads the team in assists (12) and is only one point behind captain Nico Hischier (15 points).
Hischier scored two goals and had an assist in two of the three games against the Canadiens last season, helping the Devils win two of those matchups. He scored the go-ahead goal on a power play in the third period, and Bratt scored three minutes later in a 4-3 victory on February 24th in Newark.
Joel Armia had a goal and an assist on Tuesday, but it wasn't enough for Montreal to secure a win. Brendan Gallagher also scored for the Canadiens, who let their lead slip away in the third period, resulting in yet another loss.
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"Right now, we're fighting. We're searching for results," Gallagher said. "We're working hard, but it's not easy. This is a tough league. Once we figure it out, we'll be better off, but we can't let too much time go by. There's a fine line between winning and losing in this league. When you have a lead in the third period, at home, you should be able to hold onto it."
Cole Caufield has been held scoreless in his last two games after scoring 10 goals in the first 11 games of the season. He scored one goal and had three assists in the regular season series against the Devils in 2023-24.
Captain Nick Suzuki has also been held without a point in his last two games. He recorded 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in his previous nine games.
Montreal Canadiens vs. New Jersey Devils
Ilya Kovalchuk scored the game-winning goal in the second round of the shootout, as the Montreal Canadiens overcame a three-goal deficit and bounced back from allowing the tying goal in the final seconds of regulation to edge the New Jersey Devils, 5-4, Tuesday night in Newark, N.J.
Kyle Palmieri scored the tying goal on a rebound during a scramble in front of the net with 19.4 seconds remaining on a 6-on-4 power play, after Montreal was called for having too many men on the ice.
In the shootout, Kovalchuk gave Montreal its seventh win in 10 games when he made a quick move and lifted a wrist shot over goaltender Louis Domingue's blocker.
Goaltender Charlie Lindgren filled in for Carey Price (flu), who did not make the trip, and stopped 20 saves in the first 65 minutes. He then stopped Nikita Gusev, Palmieri and Jack Hughes in the shootout.
Defenseman Christian Folin gave Montreal a 4-3 lead with 10:25 remaining with the team's fourth consecutive goal. His wrist shot from the right point deflected off New Jersey's Travis Zajac and Mirco Mueller.
Folin's first goal in nearly two years occurred 2:13 after Nick Cousins scored the tying marker, converting a centering pass from Brett Kulak when he chipped the puck over Domingue's glove.
Joel Armia started Montreal's comeback by scoring on a short-handed breakaway with 6:52 remaining in the second period. Nate Thompson made it a one-goal game entering the third by switching from his backhand to the forehand while parked at the right side of the crease with 2:54 remaining.
Miles Wood scored in the first period for New Jersey, which lost its third straight game (all after regulation) and fell to 11-3-4 when leading after two periods. Palmieri and Jesper Bratt scored in the second period, on a night when P.K. Subban (stomach virus) and Nico Hischier (undisclosed) sat out.
Domingue finished with 32 saves.
Wood made it 1-0 with 10:43 remaining when he warded off a check from Folin and put a wrist shot from the left circle under Lindgren.
Palmieri made it 2-0 1:51 into the second on a power play, taking a long cross-ice pass from Damon Severson and lifting a wrist shot from the right circle over Lindgren. Bratt made it 3-0 nearly five minutes later by getting the puck to trickle into the vacated right side of the net after fanning on his shot.