Colorado Avalanche vs Montreal Canadiens Prediction, Preview and Odds - 01/29/2026

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Thursday, January 29, 2026

Venue:  Centre Bell, Montréal, QC

Where to Watch:  ESPN+

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Avalanche -130, Canadiens +110; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Avalanche -130, Canadiens +110; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Avalanche -130, Canadiens +110; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Colorado Avalanche:  35-6-9 (1st place, Central Division)

Montreal Canadiens:  29-17-7 (4th place, Atlantic Division)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Doc’s Sports is on a HOT STREAK in the NHL on a 16-8 NHL RUN for +$7,510 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Colorado Avalanche:  4-4-2 last 10

Montreal Canadiens:  5-4-1 last 10

The Avalanche are entering this game with 79 points, a 35-6-9 record overall, and they are 15-4-5 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in their last game, winning that one on the road 4-1, but this is also the 2nd game of a back-to-back for them with their game against the Ottawa Senators still to be played on Wednesday night. In their game against the Maple Leafs, Brock Nelson led the team in goals scored with 3 as he recorded the hattrick while Jack Drury scored 1 goal for them in that one. Artturi Lehkonen, Cale Makar, Joel Kiviranta, Parker Kelly, and Valeri Nichushkin each led the team in assists with 1 while Cale Makar led the team in shots on net in that game with 6. Mackenzie Blackwood was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 1 goal on 33 shots with 32 saves and a .970 save percentage. Their offense has scored 198 goals this season averaging 4 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 122 goals against them allowing 2.4 goals per game.

The Canadiens are entering this game with 65 points, a 29-17-7 record overall, and they are 15-11-1 in their home games this season where they will be in -this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Vegas Golden Knights in their last game, winning that one at home 3-2 in overtime. Cole Caufield, Jake Evans, and Phillip Danault each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Alexandre Texier, Mike Matheson, Noah Dobson, and Zachary Bolduc each led the team in assists with 1 while Cole Caufield led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Jakub Dobeš was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 34 shots with 32 saves and a .941 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 180 goals this season averaging 3.4 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 177 goals against them allowing 3.3 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Canadiens listed as a slight underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Canadiens have looked good in their games this season with their 29-17-7 record overall which has them in the top half of their division in the East. They have looked good on home ice too with their 15-11-1 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Avalanche have looked great in their games this season with their 35-6-9 record overall which has them right at the top of their division in the West with the best record in the entire NHL. They have been a good road team too with their 15-4-5 road record this year. The Avalanche have been the best team in the NHL this season by far and they haven't really looked back all year, but lately they have been cooling off and definitely haven't been at their best. They are off a 4-1 win over the Maple Leafs in their last one, but they are 4-4-2 in their last 10 games and are starting to show some cracks. They aren't in a great situation here either, playing this game on a back-to-back with a game against the Senators the night before, so the Canadiens are going to have the rest advantage along with being at home. The Canadiens haven't been rolling lately either, but they have looked better with their 5-4-1 record in their last 10 games and they are off a 3-2 win over the Golden Knights in their last one. The Canadiens have been playing well lately and as good as the Avalanche have been this season, they have been cooling off lately and the Canadiens can take advantage of them on the back-to-back here. The best way to place a bet here is on the Canadiens to win this game. 

Avalanche Canadiens Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Thursday, January 29, 2026 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Canadiens 3 Avalanche 2.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert hockey picks today. And if you enjoyed this Colorado Avalanche Montreal Canadiens prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NHL predictions and previews.

Colorado Avalanche: 51-39 (-13.7 units) on the moneyline as a road favorite. 62-55 (-10.3 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a winning record. 54-35 (-4.3 units) on the moneyline in non-conference games. 18-6 UNDER against poor offensive teams - averaging 26.5 shots on goal per game or less.

Montreal Canadiens: 61-74 (+9.6 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 to +200. 43-43 (+9.4 units) on the moneyline in non-conference games. 20-30 (+6.6 units) on the moneyline when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 75%). 27-20 UNDER against good possession teams-averaging 3+ more shots on goal than opp.

Colorado Avalanche:  D. Toews (D) Day To Day - Upper-Body R. Colton (C) Day To Day - Lower-body. G. Landeskog (LW) Out - Upper-Body. L. O'Connor (RW) Out - Hip.

Montreal Canadiens:  P. Laine (RW) Out - Abdomen. A. Newhook (C) Out - Ankle.

“Great start to our road trip. I liked our defending details tonight. The commitment to play the right way without the puck and get above checks, check to get the puck back, it was a really good effort on that side of it, and then our decision-making with the puck too. I didn’t feel like we were forcing plays.” - Jared Bednar after his team’s win against the Maple Leafs in their game on Sunday.

“We’re playing some really good teams. You’ve got to be calculated, what you do with the puck and your decision-making in the third, and I thought we were.” - Martin St Louis after his team’s win against the Golden Knights in their game on Tuesday.

LW Victor Olofsson

C Nathan MacKinnon

RW Martin Necas

LD Sam Malinski

RD Cale Makar

G MacKenzie Blackwood

LW Cole Caufield

C Nick Suzuki

RW Alexandre Texier

LD Mike Matheson

RD Noah Dobson

G Jakub Dobes

Points: Nathan MacKinnon (88)

Goals: Nathan MacKinnon (38)

Assists: Nathan MacKinnon (50)

GAA: Scott Wedgewood (2.14)

Points: Nick Suzuki (59)

Goals: Cole Caufield (30)

Assists: Lane Hutson (44)

GAA: Jacob Fowler (2.62)

Coaches:

Colorado Avalanche: Jared Bednar (10th season)

Montreal Canadiens: Martin St. Louis (5th season)