Montreal Canadiens vs Colorado Avalanche Betting Pick & Prediction 1/4/25

Planning on watching today’s Canadiens and Avalanche game? Catch the action at Ball Arena in Denver, CO, as the Avalanche hosts this showdown at 7:00 ET on ESPN+. This non-conference matchup has an over/under of 6.5 goals, and the Avalanche are favored by -1.5 against the Canadiens.

MONTREAL CANADIENS VS COLORADO AVALANCHE BETTING PICK

The Pick: Colorado Avalanche -1.5

This game will be played at Ball Arena at 7:00 ET on Saturday, January 4th.

WHY BET THE COLORADO AVALANCHE:

• The Avalanche enter this game as 1.5-goal favorites and in our projections and we anticipate them winning by a score of 4-3.
• Take the Avalanche on the moneyline
• On the spread, we like Canadiens (+1.5)

No Pressure for Montreal as Away Dogs

Montreal fell below .500 with a 3-1 road loss to the Penguins, bringing their record to 17-18-3. The Canadiens were underdogs on the puck line, and the total was set at 6.5 goals, with the combined score of 4 falling short of that mark.

After trailing 2-0, Montreal got on the board with a goal from Christian Dvorak in the third period. However, the Penguins sealed the game with an empty-netter at 19:15 in the final period.

Montreal’s offense was held to a single goal in their 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh. Christian Dvorak netted his first goal of the season, which came 5:32 into the third period. Emil Heineman picked up his first assist, while Juraj Slafkovsky added his seventh.

The Canadiens fired 26 shots on goal but were hampered by 20 giveaways. They were shut out in the first two periods before finally getting on the board in the third.

Montreal’s defense gave up the opening goal at 15:57 of the first period and another at 18:40 of the second. After the Canadiens cut the deficit to 2-1 in the third, the Penguins added an empty netter with just 45 seconds left. Goalie Sam Montembeault made 21 saves with a 91.3% save percentage. Defensively, Montreal recorded 4 takeaways and 28 hits.

Will Colorado Live Up to Expectations at Home?

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

Colorado took the lead in the second period with a goal from Cale Makar at 17:06, but Nashville responded with five unanswered goals. The Avalanche’s second goal came at 2:17 in the third period, narrowing the score to 3-2 before the Predators added two empty-net goals.

Colorado took 30 shots on goal but only found the net twice in their 5-2 loss to Nashville. Cale Makar opened the scoring with his 5th goal of the season on a power play, while Nathan MacKinnon added his 6th goal late in the third period. MacKinnon also picked up his 14th assist, and Makar was credited with his 16th assist.

The Avalanche were held scoreless in the first period before Makar’s goal at 17:06 in the second. MacKinnon’s goal came with just 2:17 remaining in the game. Colorado had 23 giveaways in the contest.

Defensively, the Avalanche struggled late, giving up two empty-net goals in the final 1:14 of the 3rd period and allowing the first two goals in the 2nd period. Justus Annunen made 21 saves with an 87.5% save percentage, while the defense added 26 hits and 11 takeaways.