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Montreal Canadiens vs Detroit Red Wings: Game preview, predictions, and odds | December 20, 2024

Modified Dec 20, 2024 15:07 GMT

The Montreal Canadiens are on the road to play the Detroit Red Wings on Friday, Dec. 20, at 7 p.m. EST.

Montreal (12-16-3) is coming off a 6-1 home win over Buffalo. Detroit (13-14-4) is coming off a 6-4 win over Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Canadiens vs Red Wings: Head-to-head & key stats

Montreal is 294-209-96-9 all-time against Detroit
The Canadiens are averaging 2.86 goals per game
Detroit is 7-7-2 at home
Montreal is allowing 3.64 goals per game
The Red Wings are averaging 2.67 goals per game
The Canadiens are 3-9-1 on the road
Detroit is allowing 3.16 goals per game

Montreal Canadiens vs Detroit Red Wings: Preview

Montreal is coming off a blowout win over Buffalo to snap its two-game losing streak. The Canadiens are led by Nick Suzuki who has 32 points, Cole Caufield has 29 points, Lane Hutson has 22 points and Juraj Slafkovsky has 17 points.

The Canadiens will start Sam Montembeault who's 10-13-2 with a 2.92 GAA and a .902 SV%. In his career against Detroit, he's 1-0-2 with a 3.24 GAA and a .888 SV%.

Detroit, meanwhile, is coming off a 6-4 win over the Flyers and is on a two-game winning streak. The Red Wings are expected to start Cam Talbot who's 6-6-2 with a 2.69 GAA and a .916 SV%. In his career against Montreal, he's 8-2-1 with a 1.34 GAA and a .949 SV%.

The Red Wings are led by Lucas Raymond who has 33 points, Dylan Larkin has 26 points, Alex DeBrincat has 24 points and Moritz Seider has 17 points.

Canadiens vs Red Wings: Odds & Prediction

Montreal is a +130 underdog, while Detroit is a -155 favorite, with the over/under set at 6 goals.

The Canadiens are coming off a good blowout win, but the Red Wings have some confidence and are on a bit of a hot streak. Detroit should be able to get out to an early lead while Cam Talbot should be able to limit the Canadiens' offense and help lead Detroit to get a big win.

Prediction: Red Wings 3, Canadiens 1.

Canadiens vs Red Wings: Betting Tips

Tip 1: Detroit ML (-155)

Tip 2: Under 6 goals (-110)

Tip 3: Cole Caufield 3+ shots on goal (-150)