Colorado heads into Quebec to face the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night. The Avalanche are in outstanding shape in the standings this season, but will have to overcome a loss in their last game and tired legs on short rest. Montreal has been feisty enough to make this game worth dissecting. Here, I do exactly that and you can find my Avalanche vs Canadiens prediction right here before this inter-conference game begins.
Our Avalanche vs Canadiens Pick
Canadiens moneyline ATS PRO
Confidence: 4/5
Game Snapshot
Matchup
Colorado Avalanche vs Montreal Canadiens
Date & Time
January 29, 2026, 7:00 PM ET
Venue
Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec
Broadcast
ESPN+
Key Storylines
Recent form: The Avalanche sit at 35-7-9 overall with a 15-5-5 road record. The Avs are at the top of the Central Division, but they took a loss on Wednesday night to the Ottawa Senators by a score of 5-2. Montreal checks in at 29-17-7 and 15-11-1 at home. The Habs won their last game, beating the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 in overtime on home ice.
Goaltending: Colorado is likely to go with Mackenzie Blackwood in this game after Scott Wedgewood occupied the crease for them on Wednesday. Blackwood has been excellent in a backup role, with a GAA of 2.41. Montreal’s Jakub Dobes has handled recent action for the Habs and is expected to start here. Dobes has a 2.96 GAA and will have to stand tall to keep his team in this game.
Key skaters: Nathan MacKinnon headlines things for the Avs with 38 goals and 50 assists, adding up to 88 points. Montreal’s attack relies heavily on Cole Caufield’s shot volume, Nick Suzuki’s two-way play, and Lane Hutson’s blue-line playmaking.
Special teams picture: Colorado’s penalty kill sits at 84.1% and has been a big piece of their success all season. Montreal’s power play converts at 23.2% and can change the temperature of a game quickly if given chances.
Betting Trends & H2H
Head-to-head: Colorado thumped Montreal 7-2 in late November. This is the second and final meeting between these teams in the regular season.
Colorado has covered the puckline in 54% of their games this season.
Montreal has a 56.6% success rate in the puckline market this year.
Avalanche vs Canadiens Model Projection
Score Projection: Colorado 2 – Montreal 3
Win Probability: Colorado 50%, Montreal 50%
Final Thoughts
If these teams were on equal rest, we would probably see the Colorado Avalanche get another win at the expense of the Habs. But the Avalanche are on the second game of a back-to-back here and that should negatively impact them on the road. I'll take the Canadiens at plus money on home ice, as they should be highly competitive in this matchup from Montreal.
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