Colorado Avalanche vs Montreal Canadiens Prediction 1/29/2026 Today’s NHL Picks

The Colorado Avalanche and the Montreal Canadiens meet Thursday in NHL action from the Bell Centre. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Colorado Avalanche vs. Montreal Canadiens prediction.

Colorado Avalanche Recap

The Colorado Avalanche come into this game looking to bounce back from their 5-2 loss at the hands of Ottawa last time out to sit at 29-17-7 this season. After this game, Colorado will head on the road for a game against Detroit.

Avalanche Drop 5 Of Last 7

Going into Wednesday’s game against Ottawa, Nathan MacKinnon leads the Avalanche with 88 points including a team-high 38 goals and 50 assists while Cale Makar has 56 points with 15 goals and 41 assists. Martin Necas has 62 points with 22 goals and 40 assists while Artturi Lehkonen has 38 points with 17 goals and 21 assists. Gabriel Landeskog has 22 points with 7 goals and 15 assists. Brock Nelson also has 45 points with 27 goals and 18 assists. Scott Wedgewood has posted a 20-3-5 record with a 2.14 GAA and a .918 save percentage Mackenzie Blackwood is 14-3-1 with a 2.41 GAA and a .911 save percentage this season in goal for Colorado.

Montreal Canadiens Recap

The Montreal Canadiens come into this game looking to build on their 3-2 OT win over Vegas last time out to sit at 29-17-7 this season. After this game, Montreal will head on the road for a game against Buffalo.

Canadiens Snap Two-Game Skid

Nick Suzuki leads Montreal with 59 points including 16 goals and 43 assists while Cole Caufield has 54 points with a team-high 30 goals and 24 assists. Lane Hutson has 53 points with a team-high 44 assists while Ivan Demidov has 43 points with 11 goals and 32 assists. Noah Dobson has 32 points with 23 assists and Mike Matheson has 26 points with 5 goals and 21 assists. Oliver Kapanen has 27 points with 16 goals and 11 assists while Zack Bolduc has 20 points with 10 goals and 10 assists. Sam Montembault has gone 9-8-2 with a 3.46 GAA and an .868 save percentage in goal for the Canadiens while Jakub Dobes is 16-5-3 with a 2.96 GAA and an .890 save percentage. Jacob Fowler is also 4-4-2 with a 2.62 GAA and an .902 save percentage for the Habs this season.

Colorado Avalanche @ Montreal Canadiens Betting Trends: January 29, 2026

Why the Montreal Canadiens will win

• The Canadiens have won each of their last six games as underdogs after coming off overtime.
• The Avalanche have lost four of their last five games as road favorites against Atlantic Division opponents.
• The Canadiens have covered the puck line in each of their last 14 games as underdogs.
• The Avalanche have failed to cover the puck line in eight of their last nine games as a favorite when playing with a rest disadvantage.
• The Avalanche have lost the second period in seven of their last eight road games when trailing after the first period.

Why the Colorado Avalanche will win

• The Avalanche have won six of their last seven games following a road loss.
• The Canadiens have lost four of their last five games following a home win.
• The Canadiens have failed to cover the puck line in six of their last seven home games against opponents who are on the second leg of a back-to-back.
• The road team has covered the puck line in four of the Canadiens’ last five games.
• The Avalanche have won the second period in each of their last six games following a road loss.

Total Goals Facts

• Each of the Canadiens’ last four games as home underdogs following a home win have gone OVER the total goals line.
• Each of the Avalanche’s last six Thursday games have gone OVER the total goals line.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Canadiens’ last 10 games as home underdogs.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1’ market has hit in 14 of the Avalanche’s last 16 games against Atlantic Division opponents.

Montreal Canadiens Player Prop Facts

• Cole Caufield has scored at least one goal in each of the Canadiens’ last six games.
• Nick Suzuki has recorded an assist in seven of the Canadiens’ last eight games against Central Division opponents.
• Cole Caufield has scored a goal in each of his last six appearances – longest active streak in the league.

Colorado Avalanche Player Prop Facts

• Cale Makar has recorded at least one assist in each of the Avalanche’s last 15 Thursday games.
• Gabriel Landeskog has scored at least one goal in each of his last five appearances with the Avalanche as favorites against the Canadiens.
• Gabriel Landeskog has scored the last goal in four of his last five appearances with the Avalanche as favorites against the Canadiens.
• Nathan MacKinnon ranks 1st in the league for Goals (38) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Montreal Canadiens rank 6th in the league for goals per game this season (3.36).
• The Montreal Canadiens rank 27th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (76.88%).
• The Colorado Avalanche rank 1st in the league for goals per game this season (3.90).
• The Colorado Avalanche rank 1st in the league for goals against per game this season (2.39).

Colorado Avalanche vs. Montreal Canadiens Prediction

I’m on Montreal here. This might be the most vulnerable the Avalanche will be all season, and this is a prime opportunity for Montreal to catch the Avs on a back-to-back after getting their butts kicked. I think that Colorado will get back on track, but this is just a bad spot against a Montreal team that’s not half bad. Give me the Canadiens.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Montreal +115