The Habs Return Home To Take On Devils Again Tonight

The main storyline for tonight will be the watch for Cole Caufield’s 50th goal of the season, as he wasn’t able to get it done on the road on Saturday, but he did finish with two assists for another solid performance. However, getting that 50th goal on home ice at the Bell Centre would definitely be better, as he will get to celebrate the moment with more Habs fans, and the overall atmosphere will be better. With that being said, getting his 50th goal tonight would be a special moment that would mark this Easter Sunday in Habs history forever.

Since Jakub Dobes got the start on Saturday in New Jersey, Jacob Fowler is likely getting the crease tonight on home ice, hoping to lead his team to a 9th straight win, which the Canadiens haven’t done since they started the 2015-16 campaign off with 10 straight victories. While Dobes has been the starting netminder during this streak, Fowler has also had his chance to show that he deserves to play with multiple quality starts. In his last 5 games since being recalled from the Laval Rocket, Fowler has a 4-1 record with a 2.42 GAA and .909 save percentage. He will look to deliver another solid performance tonight to prove that the Habs’ goaltending is now a 2-headed monster between him and Dobes. This will be his first career start against the Devils.

We shouldn’t see many changes to the lineup itself unless forward Alexandre Texier is ready to go, which could allow veteran Brendan Gallagher to take a night off on a back-to-back. However, that seems unlikely to happen at this point, as there haven’t been any reports that Texier will play right after the trip ends. Another situation to continue monitoring is if defenseman Adam Engstrom finally gets into the lineup, as with each passing game in the press box, it feels like valuable development time in the AHL is being missed if they just brought him on the trip to be an extra. There were older veteran defensemen like Marc Del Gaizo who could have been brought up instead. It’s also clear that Arber Xhekaj is playing some of his best hockey of the year, which is making it harder to get Engstrom in the lineup. Nonetheless, keep an eye out for updates close to game time on the Canadiens’ social media pages to see if any lineup changes will occur.

As for the Devils, their goaltender is expected to be Jacob Markstrom after Jake Allen played Saturday’s contest. Markstrom has had a shaky season for the Devils as one of the league’s most inconsistent netminders with his .883 save percentage and 3.12 GAA alongside a 22-18-1 on the year. His last 5 games in particular have been tough for the veteran goaltender, where he has an .858 save percentage alongside a 3.19 GAA. In those games, he hasn’t had a single one with a save percentage above .900.

Markstrom is currently on a 3-game winning streak against the Habs; however, in the last 2 meetings, he only has an .860 save percentage. With that being said, the Habs have a chance to have a good offensive night against a struggling goaltender. Will the Habs be able to take advantage of Markstrom’s struggles tonight?

Given Markstrom’s recent struggles, the over 6.5 Goals for tonight’s game seems like a solid bet. Not to mention, the Habs have the league’s 5th best offence, which can take advantage of their opportunities when given to them. On the moneyline, the Canadiens are listed as -150 home favourites as they look to beat the Devils for the 2nd time in 24 hours.

The watch for goal #50 continues tonight for Caufield, who has scored 28 goals in 28 games. He is set at +110 to score 1+ goals tonight. Combine a Caufield goal with the over 6.5 goals and a Habs win to boost your odds to +375 with a Same Game Parlay.

Will the Canadiens extend their winning streak to 9 games tonight?