Montreal at Winnipeg

Winnipeg has lost four straight, each by one goal: 4-3 in overtime at Chicago, 3-2 to Carolina, 2-1 at St. Louis and 3-2 in overtime at Dallas. I had Winnipeg in the first of those and lost, then St. Louis in the third and cashed. Defenseman Josh Morrissey has missed those four games and the two before them, and the Jets have allowed 3.2 goals a game in the six, against 2.5 in the four he played. Montreal has a split of its own: it gave up 4.8 a game in the four games defenseman Kaiden Guhle missed and 2.7 in the six since. Three of Montreal’s five wins needed overtime or a shootout. Center Nick Suzuki, who leads Montreal with 12 points in nine games, is out two to four weeks with an upper-body injury. Montreal’s power play has converted 12.5% of its chances, fifth-worst in the league, and Winnipeg’s has converted 22.2%. Forwards Dawson Mercer and Alexander Command joined Winnipeg in Friday’s Connor Hellebuyck trade with New Jersey and have not yet played a game for it. Winnipeg needs to win 46.9% of the time to show a profit at the moneyline price, and with Suzuki out and Montreal’s wins leaning on extra time, Winnipeg is the better bet at plus money tonight.