The Montreal Canadiens are looking to get back in the win column and tighten up that defense as they battle the New Jersey Devils on Thursday at 7 p.m. EST.

The Canadiens are 9-3-1 and first in the Atlantic Division. They just lost to the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4 in a shootout at home. The Flyers led 3-0 after one period, and then the Canadiens scored four goals in the second period. Montreal gave up the tying goal midway through the third. The Canadiens were outshot 42-20 but won in faceoffs, 38-20. Montreal was 2-for-4 on the power play and 4-for-6 on the penalty kill. The power play was a big reason the Canadians got back in this game, and it got the offensive momentum going for the rest of the game. Kirby Dach was the third star of the game with two goals.

The Devils are 9-4 and first in the Metropolitan Division. They just lost to the Anaheim Ducks 4-1 on the road. Going into the third period, New Jersey was down 3-0, scored around the midway mark of the period, and gave up an empty netter at the end. Most of the main statistics were pretty close, and the Devils outshot the Ducks 33-29. New Jersey was 0-for-1 on the power play and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill. Both teams did well with blocking shots, but some of the Devils' key offensive players had bad plus/minus points.

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Note: The above data was collected on Nov. 6, 2025, and may have changed since writing.

Montreal Canadiens

New Jersey Devils

Montreal is second in scoring, tied for 18th in goals against, sixth on the power play, and 22nd on the penalty kill. Nick Suzuki leads the team in assists and points. The Canadiens are an exciting team. They are one of the fastest teams in the league and that creates problems for opposing defenses. Their last six games have been decided by one goal, and they just had a three-game winning streak end. They have an improved power play and goaltending depth going for them. Montreal has won their last two road games and are finding ways to win, whether they lead in the first period or down in the third.

New Jersey is sixth in scoring, tied for 18th in goals against, fourth on the power play, and seventh on the penalty kill. Jack Hughes leads the team in goals and points. The Devils have lost three of their last four games and all of those losses were by three goals or more. The defense is trending down, and the offense has been inconsistent. Despite their recent struggles, the Devils have a strong home record of 5-0. They need to clean up their first periods and start trying to play with leads more, instead of chasing the game.

Best Bet: Devils Money line

The Canadiens are playing well and playing in a lot of one-goal games, but the defense has been giving up a decent number of goals. They had to pull off a big comeback just to get a point in their last game. The Devils just had a below average road trip and are ready for a short home stand, and get a fresh restart against a good team. Special teams will be the difference maker in this one.