Montreal Canadiens vs Anaheim Ducks: Cole Caufield sets the tone at Bell Centre

Montreal Canadiens vs Anaheim Ducks prediction today centers on a regular-season opener where Montreal is listed as the home team and Anaheim as the away team. The betting board is built around a standard pregame market that includes moneyline odds, the puck line spread, and a game total, with interest driven by a Bell Centre matchup featuring the Canadiens and Ducks.

First period

The early read leans Canadiens at home because the fixture lists Montreal as the host side and Anaheim as the visitor, which typically influences opening moneyline pricing. The Habs’ first-period angle also gets shaped by lineup availability, and Montreal’s injury report lists Kaiden Guhle out after surgery for a partially torn abductor muscle with an 8–10 week absence. The same availability picture includes Alex Newhook on injured reserve with an ankle issue, Patrik Laine on injured reserve with an abdomen issue, and Kirby Dach on injured reserve with a foot issue, which can push bettors toward a more conservative first-period total rather than a high-event start.

Second period

The second-period handicap is tied to how Montreal can manage minutes without Guhle on the blue line, because the roster lists multiple available defense options in Noah Dobson, Mike Matheson, Lane Hutson, Alexandre Carrier, Arber Xhekaj, Jayden Struble, and Adam Engstrom. That depth on the back end often pairs with puck-line decisions, because spread bettors tend to prefer the home side when the defensive rotation looks intact beyond one notable absence. For fans tracking match player stats, the Canadiens’ available core includes Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovský, Brendan Gallagher, Josh Anderson, Ivan Demidov, Jake Evans, and Zachary Bolduc, which supports a midgame expectation that Montreal can generate enough sustained zone time to justify a slight home-ice lean in live moneyline pricing.

Third period

Late-game betting is most connected to goaltending availability, and Montreal has Samuel Montembeault and Jakub Dobes listed among active roster options at goalie. That presence can matter for bettors playing third-period lines, because a team’s ability to protect a lead directly affects puck-line cover chances and under/over outcomes when totals are tight. The best bets for Montreal Canadiens vs Anaheim Ducks will typically come down to whether the market prices Montreal’s home edge more than the injury drag from Newhook, Laine, Dach, and Guhle, because those names are explicitly listed as out while the rest of the lineup remains available.

In the final outlook, Canadiens backers will weigh a home-ice moneyline lean and a cautious approach to the total given Montreal’s injured-reserve list that includes Newhook, Laine, and Dach alongside Guhle’s confirmed absence timeline. Montreal hosts Anaheim at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, on March 15, 2026 at 7:00 PM ET, and where to watch Montreal Canadiens vs Anaheim Ducks includes ESPN+, Victory+, and KCOP-TV; if you’ve got a read on the puck line or totals, lock in your position early and keep an eye on any late roster confirmations. Share this article with fellow Habs fans tracking the odds and the next-night slate.