Target this Montreal Canadiens Player Prop

The Montreal Canadiens will be heading to Columbus tonight to take on the Blue Jackets. A player prop in this game is jumping off the board with value so we’ll go over what that prop is and then preview the game as well.

Player Prop: Cole Caufield Over 3.5 Shots on Goal (-120)

The young phenom enters tonight after struggling against the New Jersey Devils but I think this is the perfect bounce-back opportunity for him against this Columbus team that is ranked dead last in the league in goals allowed. Caufield’s shots-on-goal total is sitting at 3.5 for tonight and I think he’ll go over that number like he has most of the season.

In his last ten games, Caufield has gone over this specific prop total seven times and averaged 4 shots on goal a game in that period. On the season he is averaging 3.81 shots on goal so after only taking one shot the entirety of his last game I think he will blow past the total tonight.

The Blue Jackets have allowed 21 goals to be scored in their last five games and in their last game their opponent got off 37 shots on goal. Goalie Elvis Merzlikins has just a .864 save percentage in his last nine games played so the Canadiens should be coming out firing knowing this is such a glaring weakness for the Blue Jackets.

Up until their last game against the Devils where they were only able to score one goal, the Canadiens had been playing at a really high level on offense. Montreal has scored 17 combined goals in their four games leading up to the Devils' game so they certainly will have the chance to get back that offensive momentum tonight and I think Caufield will be a big part of that.

Game Preview

Columbus enters tonight with a 5-9-1 record and has been struggling as of late. On top of the previously mentioned defensive struggles, the offense has not been playing much better as of late. The Blue Jackets rank 23rd in goals scored and a large reason for that is they are ranked dead last in the league in powerplay opportunities.

The Canadiens’ defense has played a bit above league average in most statistical categories so far this season so it’ll be interesting to see if the Blue Jackets can build off their five-goal performance in their previous game or if they continue to be inconsistent. Johnny Gaudreau leads the Blue Jackets will 13 points this season so we’ll see if he can build on that total tonight.

Jake Allen will probably get the start in net for the Canadiens and he’ll enter tonight with a .901 save percentage in his last 10 games. On the offensive end for Montreal, Caufield leads the team in shots taken but Nick Suzuki leads the team in points with 19 on the year. Suzuki could play a big role tonight in helping Caufield reach his shots on goal total.