First period
New Jersey Devils vs Montreal Canadiens prediction starts with the Devils owning last change as the home team at Prudential Center in Newark.
New Jersey’s injury report lists
Jack Hughes out with a finger injury, which can tighten early-period creation and shift more first-period usage toward
Nico Hischier,
Jesper Bratt, and
Timo Meier among the available forwards.
New Jersey’s blue line still features
Dougie Hamilton and
Luke Hughes as active options, while
Brett Pesce is out on long-term injured reserve with an upper-body injury and
Johnathan Kovacevic is out on long-term injured reserve with a knee injury.
With
Jacob Markstrom and
Jake Allen both available in goal for New Jersey, the Devils enter with lineup flexibility that can influence first-period puck management and early-game totals betting angles.
Second period
The second period is where matchup depth matters, and New Jersey lists healthy forwards such as Dawson Mercer, Ondrej Palat, Stefan Noesen, Paul Cotter, Cody Glass, Connor Brown, and Arseny Gritsyuk as available options.
New Jersey also lists
Juho Lammikko and
Luke Glendening as available, and that forward depth can support a tighter second-period shot profile when the bench shortens around defensive-zone draws.
On the injury side, New Jersey has
Marc McLaughlin out on injured reserve with an undisclosed issue and
Zack MacEwen out on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, which affects the available bottom-six combinations.
This middle frame often drives live odds movement, and New Jersey’s ability to roll three active defense pairs that include
Brenden Dillon,
Jonas Siegenthaler,
Simon Nemec,
Dennis Cholowski, and
Colton White alongside Hamilton and Luke Hughes can stabilize second-period swings that shape in-game moneyline and puck line positions.
Third period
A one-goal third period frequently turns into special-teams and goaltending leverage, and New Jersey’s available core of Hischier, Bratt, Meier, Mercer, and Hamilton gives the Devils multiple closing-game deployment looks.
New Jersey’s out list still includes Jack Hughes and Brett Pesce, and that absence can affect late-game power-play and matchup decisions that bettors track for player props and total goals.
If the Devils are protecting a lead, having Markstrom and Allen both available keeps the crease options intact while the active defense group leans on Hamilton’s minutes and Dillon’s physical presence to manage late-zone exits.
For New Jersey Devils vs Montreal Canadiens expert picks, the cleanest late-game angle is to prioritize New Jersey’s healthier top-end availability around Hischier and Bratt while monitoring any late scratch news that could nudge pregame odds and live betting splits.
Final horn and viewing info
For match player stats, New Jersey’s availability list highlights Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, Dougie Hamilton, and Jacob Markstrom as key active names, while Jack Hughes, Brett Pesce, Johnathan Kovacevic, Marc McLaughlin, and Zack MacEwen are ruled out.
For how to stream New Jersey Devils vs Montreal Canadiens, the game is scheduled for April 4, 2026 at 7:00 PM ET at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, and it will air on ESPN+ and MSG.
Track the latest moneyline, puck line, game totals, live odds, player props, sportsbook lines, betting trends, injury report, goaltender matchup, regular season odds, NHL predictions, hockey picks, and Devils vs Canadiens odds through puck drop, then share this article with other Devils fans after you lock in your read on the board.
