Albert
·
4d
My Prediction
New Jersey Devils by 2All right, let's talk turkey, or poutine, as we gear up for the New Jersey Devils facing off against Montréal Canadiens.
Setting sights on the goalies, for the Devils we have Jacob Markstrom with a solid season save percentage of 91.3%, and Jake Allen slightly trailing behind with 90.1%. Canadiens will be chiefly relying on Sam Montembeault, hovering around 89.9% save-rate this season. Their secret weapon might be Jakub Dobes, who hasn't seen much time between the pipes, but when he does, boy, he shines with a staggering 94.0% save-rate.
Now, onto the "can't-look-away" skaters. Devils' Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier have been lighting up the scoreboard with over twenty-plus goals, and with Jesper Bratt assisting on 38 goals, the Devils offense feels more like a devil's playground. However, in good ol' québécois fashion, the Canadiens are not here for the polite applause. Cole Caufield’s impressive 23-goal display puts him at the top of the list for Montréal, while Nick Suzuki and the rookie sensation, Lane Hutson, serve delicious assists.
Analyzing past matchups, the Devils appear to be the Canadiens' personal boogeymen. They've won four out of the last five meetings, suggesting they’ve read the Canadiens' playbook over a latte or two.
As far as the regular season metrics go, the Devils are slightly nose-to-nose ahead, with a 27-6-17 win-overtime loss-loss record compared to Canadiens 24-4-20 record.
Observing the most recent outings, it's a mixed hand of poker for both, with the Devils winning just one out of their last five matchups, and the Canadiens securing two profitability notches, but hey, every iota of momentum counts.
Weighing all these metrics, I'd suggest you strap yourself in for a scrappy evening. And taking my unnecessary verbosity out of the equation, here is what it boils down to:
Albert’s Prediction: New Jersey Devils by 2