Welcome back to another edition of NHL Predictions with Last Word on Hockey. Our team will break down the key matches, storylines, and stats, and make predictions for the contest. In this edition, we will look at Saturday’s matchup between the Montreal Canadiens and New Jersey Devils. Be sure to check out all of our NHL Predictions throughout the 2025-26 season.

NHL Predictions with Montreal Canadiens vs New Jersey Devils

Head-to-Head: 1-0 New Jersey

Time: 7:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time

How to Watch: MSG, NHL Network

The Canadiens and Devils will meet on Saturday in Newark for the first meeting of a weekend home-and-home series. These two teams have been near the top of the standings since returning from the Olympic break five weeks ago. Montreal (44-21-10, 98 points) has won seven in a row to pull within two points of Tampa Bay and Buffalo atop the Atlantic Division. The Canadiens have all but assured a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they would certainly like home ice in the first round. The top seed in the Eastern Conference is still in play – sitting just four points behind Carolina.

The Devils (39-34-2, 80 points) have won eight of their last 11 games. They are coming off a 7-3 victory over Washington in which Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt combined for 10 points. They sit eight points behind the playoff line with seven games remaining.

Credit Image: © Alex Cave/ZUMA Press Wire

These teams will play twice this weekend. Next, they are flying across the border for a Sunday meeting in Quebec following this game. They played back on November 6th, with Jesper Bratt scoring an overtime winner after a late surge tied the game for New Jersey.

Canadiens Look to Improve Seeding

Montreal will go for its eighth consecutive victory. They are 12-5-2 since the break and have the chance to finish atop the Eastern Conference. They sit two points behind the leaders in the Atlantic Division as well, making every game down the stretch important for seeding purposes.

Montreal’s 265 goals rank third in the NHL, making their offense one to worry opponents. Cole Caufield leads the way with 49 goals. Caufield has steadily improved his production throughout his six seasons, but has quickly become one of the most dangerous scorers in the league. Nick Suzuki is also posting career numbers, leading the way with 94 points, and is tied for fourth in the league with 67 assists.

Lane Hutson continues to be an impressive puck distributor on the backend in his second full season. He is in the middle of his second straight 60-plus assist season, and 73 points rank among the top-10 among defencemen.

Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler will most likely each get a start this weekend. Regardless of who starts on Saturday, Montreal should be prepared to face a motivated and hot Devils forward group.

Devils Clinging to Playoff Hope

New Jersey is coming off a 7-3 win over Washington and still has a very slim chance of making a run at the playoffs. The Devils will need a ton of help in the final two weeks, but they are not packing in the season yet.

Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt each had five points on Thursday night and lead the way with 69 and 66 points, respectively. Nico Hischier has been on a scoring tear recently and now paces the team with 26 goals.

Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen will both get a start in the weekend series. The Devils have had shaky goaltending during the season, but the tandem has been playing better as of late. The Devils have found a scoring touch recently which allows for the goaltending and defensive game to relax a little more.

NHL Predictions:

The Devils are still clinging to a small sliver of hope, and that makes them a dangerous team down the stretch. The Canadiens have all but guaranteed a spot in the dance and are playing for seeding. Montreal is a strong offensive team, and the Devils have also found their scoring touch lately. There should be fireworks in this one, and we could be seeing the goal lamp lit quite a bit.

Prediction: 5-3 Devils

Best Bets:

The over/under is set for 6.5. Given the talent on both forward groups, the over should be the way to go.

Jack Hughes has been the leading scorer in the NHL since returning from the Olympics. He had five points in the Devils most recent game. He is a prime candidate to keep the hot streak going. Cole Caufield is one goal shy of hitting the 50 mark. With a week left in the season, he will want to get the milestone marker quickly.

Main Photo Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

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