‹WED NOV 18›
3 games
Early look The full preview opens on Sunday 15 November, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Montréal Canadiens at New Jersey Devils: game preview

Puck drop18 Nov · 7:30 PM ET
VenuePrudential Center
All-time meetings153 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Nineteen points apart last season

Montréal finished last season 6th in the league on 106 points. New Jersey finished 21st on 87.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 154

Across 153 completed games, New Jersey lead the head-to-head 91-47-15.

All-time record91-47-15New Jersey's record in the series
Meetings played153This is number 154
2025-26 series—
Last 54-1New Jersey
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
5 Apr 2026NJD 3 – MTL 0——NJD
4 Apr 2026MTL 4 – NJD 3 SO——MTL
6 Nov 2025MTL 3 – NJD 4 OT——NJD
8 Feb 2025NJD 4 – MTL 0——NJD
25 Jan 2025NJD 4 – MTL 3 OT——NJD
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateMontréalNew Jersey
6 Nov 20259-3-2 · 20 pts3rd10-4-0 · 20 pts2nd
4 Apr 202645-21-10 · 100 pts5th39-34-3 · 81 pts20th
5 Apr 202645-22-10 · 100 pts6th40-34-3 · 83 pts20th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 6 Nov 2025, Montréal were 3rd in the league and New Jersey 2nd. By 5 Apr 2026 it was 6th and 20th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

New Jersey out-attempted Montréal 165 to 162

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Montréal Canadiens

162 att · 66 on goal · 6 G · 9.1%
Crease9 att · 0 G
Slot74 att · 4 G
Wing59 att · 2 G
Point18 att · 0 G
Neutral zone2 att · 0 G

New Jersey Devils

165 att · 86 on goal · 10 G · 11.6%
Crease12 att · 3 G
Slot77 att · 3 G
Wing60 att · 3 G
Point14 att · 1 G
Neutral zone2 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

New Jersey have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

MontréalNew Jersey
2.61xG for per game3.52
3.61xG against per game3.01
42.0%xG share53.9%
+4.2FinishingGoals minus expected goals−4.5
−3.2GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−4.0

This season: 3 games for Montréal, 3 for New Jersey. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Montréal

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2710.0%
Power play · 2025-2623.1% · 10th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2775.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2678.2% · 18th
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.9% · 96/178
Drawn · 2026-2710 (3.33/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

New Jersey

Small sample
Power play · 2026-277.1%
Power play · 2025-2622.0% · 13th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2762.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2679.3% · 17th
Faceoffs · 2026-2747.5% · 87/183
Drawn · 2026-2714 (4.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
14Nick Suzuki32462.00
22Chris Kreider31341.33
76Zachary Bolduc33031.00
86Jack Hughes31120.67
63Jesper Bratt30220.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
48Lane Hutson30441.33
8Mike Matheson30110.33
43Luke Hughes31010.33
47Declan Chisholm30110.33
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 16 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 14 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Montréal crease

MTL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 15 Nov

Jakub Dobes.8573 GP · 1-1-1 · GSAx −3.0

No appearances against New Jersey in the last meetings.

New Jersey crease

NJD · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 15 Nov

Jake Allen.8752 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx −1.7
Nico Daws.8131 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −2.5

No appearances against Montréal in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.4 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

5 Apr 20263 · NJD 3–0 MTL
4 Apr 20267 · MTL 4–3 NJD
6 Nov 20257 · MTL 3–4 NJD
8 Feb 20254 · NJD 4–0 MTL
25 Jan 20257 · NJD 4–3 MTL

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Montréal4.004.673.453.12
New Jersey2.004.332.803.10

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.4Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings5.6Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

10 on the injury lists

Montréal · injuries

Bryce PickfordUndisclosedIRReturn17 Oct
Ivan DemidovLower BodyIRReturn31 Oct
Kaiden GuhleGroinIRReturn20 Oct
Lucas CondottaUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Oliver KapanenLower BodyOutReturn8 Oct

New Jersey · injuries

Connor BrownLower BodyOutReturn12 Oct
Johnathan KovacevicKneeIRReturn10 Oct
Jonas SiegenthalerUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn10 Oct
Nick BjugstadPectoralIRReturn19 Jan
Seamus CaseyKneeIRReturn21 Nov
27 Sep · MTL

Placed D Reilly Walsh, D Maksymilian Szuber, D Ethan Samson, C Sam Poulin, RW Sasha Pastujov, C Hunter McKown, G Kaapo Kähkönen, LW Brett Berard, and RW Alex Belzile on waivers for the purpose of loaning them to Laval (AHL).

12 Sep · MTL

Signed F Chris Kreider to a one-year contract.

9 Aug 2026 · MTL

Loaned F Vinzenz Rohrer to EV Zug (Switzerland).

27 Sep · NJD

Claimed LW Jeremie Poirier off waivers.

27 Sep · NJD

Claimed LW Jeremie Poirier off waivers. Placed C/RW Marc McLaughlin, LD Vladislav Kolyachonok, G David Rittich, LW Riley Tufte, LD Topias Vilen, and C/RW Colin White on waivers.

25 Sep · NJD

Assigned Ds Mikael Diotte, Ethan Edwards, Jeremy Hanzel, Etienne Morin and Anton Silaev, Fs Josh Filmon, Lenni Hameenaho, Shane Lachance, Matyas Melovsky, Xavier Parent, Cam Squires and Ben Steeves and G Jakub Malek to Utica (AHL). Waived for the purpose of assignment to Utica Ds DJ King, Charles Leddy and Eamon Powell, Fs Tristan Ashbrook, Zachary Gallant, Gabe Klassen, Jack Malone, Justin Pearson, Ryan Schmelzer, Cristophe Tellier and Jermey Wilmer and Gs Jeremy Brodeur and Seth Eisele.

Injury report
#26Gleb PugachyovRound 1 · Nizhny Novgorod Jr.RW
#57Timofei RuntsoRound 2 · VictoriaD
#93Cooper CleavesRound 3 · DartmouthD
#117Brayden KlimpkeRound 4 · SaskatoonD
Full draft
#12Alexander CommandRound 1 · Orebro Jr.C
#37Matias VanhanenRound 2 · EverettLW
#44Nikita ShcherbakovRound 2 · Ufa Jr.D
#119Lavr GashilovRound 4 · Yekaterinburg Jr.C
Full draft

Updated after every final