Canadiens vs Avalanche

Colorado’s top line rolls into this one with a 17-1-5 overall mark and a 10-1 run over the last 11 games, even after Friday’s shootout loss in Minnesota snapped a 10-game win streak.  Montreal has quietly steadied after a five-game skid capped by that 8-4 loss to Washington and now rides a three-game road winning streak (Toronto, Utah, Vegas) into the second half of a back-to-back at altitude.  The Habs are missing serious pieces in Patrik Laine, Alex Newhook, Kirby Dach and Kaiden Guhle, all on IR or listed out, while Colorado is down Valeri Nichushkin plus depth wingers and Samuel Girard, but still dresses Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and a deep forward group around them.  MacKinnon leads this matchup in scoring with 37 points (17G, 20A) and has driven an Avalanche offense averaging 4.0 goals per game, compared with Montreal’s 3.4, while Colorado also owns the defensive edge with a 2.2 team GAA against the Canadiens’ 3.5.  Historically, Makar has produced 10 points in 9 games versus Montreal and Suzuki has held his own with 9 points in 9 against Colorado, but the previous 2-1 shootout win the Habs stole here last January came when they were healthier and the Avs were not on this kind of heater. Laying -260 on Colorado’s moneyline isn’t cheap, yet given their current form, home-ice edge and Montreal’s injury-thinned lineup on a back-to-back, Avalanche ML earns a B grade for high likelihood but modest payout relative to risk. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 29/11/2025 09:26am

Colorado has been driving scorelines with a league-leading attack, but their recent form also includes a franchise-tying run of three consecutive shutouts and nearly 190 straight minutes without allowing a goal, thanks largely to Mackenzie Blackwood and a tightened defensive structure.  Montreal’s offense has perked up during its three-game win streak, yet it’s still a unit missing Laine’s shooting threat, Newhook’s transition speed and Guhle’s breakout puck-moving, which collectively trims both their power-play ceiling and rush game. The underlying matchup numbers show Colorado allowing just 2.2 goals per game while scoring 4.0, against Montreal’s 3.4 for and 3.5 against, and Ball Arena has been especially difficult on visiting offenses that are finishing a back-to-back at altitude. These teams’ most recent meeting in Denver finished 2-1 in a shootout, and while a pure repeat of that script isn’t required, it does underscore how suffocating the Avs can be at home whenn. With Colorado’s goaltending red-hot, Montreal’s top-six still dangerous but depleted, and a line of 6.5 shaded slightly toward the over, the value for me tilts to Under 6.5 (-108) with a B grade, acknowledging the risk that an early special-teams flurry could still push this into a higher-scoring track. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 29/11/2025 09:26am

Colorado has turned Ball Arena into a scoring runway, with many of its recent victories coming by multi-goal margins, including statement wins like 6-0 over San Jose and 6-3 over the Rangers during a surge that pushed them to 17-1-5. Montreal comes in on a three-game road heater but is now playing its second game in as many nights after beating Vegas on Friday, and that fatigue combines with injuries to Laine, Newhook, Dach and Guhle to thin both their scoring depth and defensive stability late in games. Even with Cole Caufield (13G) and Nick Suzuki driving the offense and having had some success against Colorado in past meetings, the Habs’ current blue line and bottom six aren’t as imposing as the Avs’ deep forward corps centered around MacKinnon, plus an elite Makar–Toews-led defense that tilts the ice territorially. The last time these teams met here, Montreal ground out a 2-1 shootout upset, but that was with a healthier Habs lineup and before this Colorado group hit its present defensive and goaltending groove. ([espn.com](https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/43290405?utm_source=openai)) Given the Avs’ tendency to stretch leads once they’re ahead, the travel spot for Montreal, and the modest jump in price from the moneyline, Avalanche -1.5 (-105) earns a B+ grade as a higher-variance but better-value way to back the superior side. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 29/11/2025 09:26am