Columbus Blue Jackets (19-21-1, fifth in the Metropolitan) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8-28-7, eighth in the Atlantic)
Montreal; Sunday, 7 p.m. EST
LINE: Canadiens +106, Blue Jackets -127; over/under is 6
BOTTOM LINE: Montreal looks to break its five-game skid with a victory against Columbus.
The Canadiens are 4-15-2 in Eastern Conference games. Montreal averages 4.3 penalties per game, the most in the Eastern Conference. Michael Pezzetta leads the team with 19 total penalties.
The Blue Jackets are 6-8-0 against opponents from the Metropolitan. Columbus ranks eighth in the Eastern Conference recording 8.2 points per game, averaging 3.0 goals and 5.2 assists.
The matchup Sunday is the first meeting of the season for the two teams.
TOP PERFORMERS: Sami Niku leads the Canadiens with a plus-three in 13 games this season. Nicholas Suzuki has 7 points over the last 10 games for Montreal.
Boone Jenner leads the Blue Jackets with 30 points, scoring 18 goals and registering 12 assists. Zach Werenski has five assists over the last 10 games for Columbus.
LAST 10 GAMES: Canadiens: 1-6-3, averaging 2.5 goals, 4.1 assists, 6.1 penalties and 17.4 penalty minutes while giving up 4.7 goals per game with an .876 save percentage.
Blue Jackets: 4-6-0, averaging 2.5 goals, 4.3 assists, 3.7 penalties and 7.6 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game with a .907 save percentage.
INJURIES: Canadiens: Rafael Harvey-Pinard: out (health protocols), Louie Belpedio: out (covid-19), Gianni Fairbrother: out (covid-19), David Savard: day to day (lower body).
Blue Jackets: Alexandre Texier: day to day (upper body).
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