The Montreal Canadiens make their much-awaited home debut later tonight when they take on the Boston Bruins in a rematch of their heated playoff clash five months ago. The Habs emerged victorious in that series, winning in seven games, and will look for a repeat of that result against a Bruins side brimming with confidence after their shootout victory over the Detroit Red Wings last night.
Read on for a preview of this much-anticipated Original Six matchup. If you’re looking for other sports action, though, you can check out our preview of Game 5 of MLB’s NLCS between San Francisco and St. Louis here.
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Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens Betting Preview
Where: Bell Centre, Montreal
When: Thursday, October 16, 2014, 7:30 PM ET
Line: Boston Bruins (EVEN) at Montreal Canadiens (-120); total: 5.0 – view all NHL lines
Betting on the Boston Bruins
[sc:NHL240 ]David Krejci and Reilly Smith were the heroes for the Bruins as they scored the vital goals both in regulation and in the shootout to snap their three-game losing streak.
It was a complete turnaround for a Bruins offense which has struggled mightily to find the back of the net at the start of the season. They are third-worst in the NHL in goals scored this season with a 1.2 average but were a much better offensive unit against the Red Wings.
They outshot the Red Wings 35-18 in regulation, and could have won the game outright in overtime if not for Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard making three outstanding saves in the extra period.
This performance will serve them in good stead ahead of their clash with the Canadiens in a rematch of their second-round playoff encounter last season. In that series, the Habs outlasted the Bruins in seven games to reach the conference finals and Boston will be desperate to avenge that defeat later tonight.
One thing going well for the Bruins is their solid defense. They are 11th in the NHL in goals allowed this season with opponents averaging just 2.2 goals per game against them. In this game, they will need to give full attention to defenseman P.K. Subban who was the main thorn to their side in their seven-game series last May.
Subban scored four goals and dished out three assists against the Bruins and was unstoppable in the power play grabbing five points with a man advantage in that series. The one tasked to stop the Montreal attack tonight is goalie Tuukka Rask who has struggled at times so far this season. He is 32nd among goalkeepers in save percentage this season with a .894 clip but will take heart in his performance against the Red Wings last night where he recorded 18 saves out of Detroit’s 20 shot attempts.
The Bruins are 4-6 in their last 10 away games dating back to April of last season.
Montreal’s two-day break couldn’t have come at a perfect time after they were destroyed 7-1 by the Tampa Bay Lightning last Monday. The Canadiens simply had no answer for the Lightning’s Steven Stamkos who scored three times in the six-goal rout to give Montreal its first defeat of the season.
The Lightning started the game like a house on fire as they scored two goals in the opening 10 minutes. And even though Brendan Gallagher cut the deficit to one late in the first period, it was all Tampa Bay after that as the Lightning cut to shreds a Montreal team that was noticeably tired after playing its fourth away game in six days.
Even with the heavy defeat, there were plenty of positives for coach Michael Therrien to take from this opening four-game road trip where they went an impressive 3-1 beating teams such as Toronto, Washington and Philadelphia.
Center Tomas Plekanec has played some excellent hockey to start the season, already scoring five points (four goals, one assist) to go 12th in the NHL points charts. Plekanic is known more for being a defensive enforcer, spending 61 percent of the time on even strength play in the defense zone last season. Including all situations, that percentage grew even further to 64.7 percent.
The Canadiens are only 24th in the league this season in scoring netting just 2.25 goals per contest. Max Pacioretty who led the Habs in points (60) and goals scored (39) last season only has one goal to his name so far this year.
One of the reasons behind Montreal’s low goal tally is their failure to convert on power play opportunities. They are a woeful 0-for-14 with a man advantage so far this season. They may find the going much easier against the Bruins who are 18th in the league this season in penalty kills with a 78.6 percent clip.
The Habs are 6-4 in their last 10 home games dating back to April of last season.
Writer’s Prediction
The Canadiens (-120) open their home campaign with a two-goal win.
