NHL Free Picks – Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Montreal Canadiens

NHL Tuesday Preview

NHL betting is down to one game Tuesday, when the Columbus Blue Jackets visit the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre.

These teams have yet to face each other this season, but last year the Blue Jackets took their lone meeting 4-3 in a shootout. Over the past 10 years Columbus has won four of its eight battles with Montreal, with the Habs taking three of those games and one ending in a 1-1 tie.

Heading into Tuesday, the Blue Jackets will be coming off a game against the New York Rangers. As of Monday, Columbus had won five of its last seven games to jump into second place in the Central Division.

The Blue Jackets have provided some nail bitters for hockey bettors in recent games. Six of their last 10 games have gone into overtime or a shootout, including Saturday’s tilt with the Nashville Predators. Columbus was edged 4-3 in a shootout despite goaltender Steve Mason stopping a season-high 45 shots.

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Mason began this five-game road trip sharp, with a 4-1 win over the Dallas Stars, stopping 25-of-26 shots. The team is hoping he is starting to come around after opening the schedule with a bloated 3.44 GAA.

Montreal has had a couple days off to lick its wounds after losing 3-2 in a shootout to the Detroit Red Wings at home Saturday. The Habs were waiting on a ruling from the NHL following Georges Laraque’s knee-on-knee hit on Detroit’s Niklas Kronwall. Laraque admitted to reporters that the hit was accidental, however, the enforcer’s reputation may proceed him in this situation.

Montreal is still shuffling lines due to numerous injuries, most recently to Brian Gionta, who will miss up to six weeks with a broken foot. Mike Cammalleri, Tomas Plekanec, and Andrei Kostitsyn were tossed together by coach Jacques Martin before Saturday’s game. The trio found success in the third period when Cammalleri netted two goals to force the additional period.

There’s talk flying around the franchise that the Canadiens may make a move to help spark the team’s dismal offense, which ranks 27th in the league. The Kostitsyn brothers, Sergei and Andrei, are rumored to be on the move, with possible suitors in Edmonton.