The biggest game on the annual NHL regular season schedule is almost upon us – the 2016 Winter Classic. This year it’s the Boston Bruins hosting the Montreal Canadiens and the Atlantic rivalry hits the ice at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
The Bruins have been turning it up lately, while the Habs have been turning it off. Boston is 6-3-1 in their last ten, while Montreal hasn’t been fairing as well this month. [sc:NHL240 ]The red and blue are 2-8-0 and are desperately missing their starting goaltender Carey Price.
If you’d like to keep tabs on this New Year’s game, read on. If you’d like to check out some New Year’s College Bowl action though, click here!
[sc:NHLArticles ]The 2016 Winter Classic – Montreal vs. Boston
Betting on the Montreal Canadiens (21-15-3)
The Habs began the year 9-0 and looked destined for greatness. That all changed though when Carey Price went down with injury. He went down for a bit, came back (arguably) too quickly, re-injured himself and will now miss the Winter Classic. It was announced that he’d join the team for the festivities, but that really makes no difference whatsoever. Price is 10-2 through 12 games. Through the 27 games he’s missed, the team is 11-13 and nosediving in the Atlantic division.
Montreal is coming off a 3-1 loss to new division leader Florida on Tuesday. Before that they took out the Lightning 4-3, but lost six in a row prior to that tilt. They are also 0-1 against the Bruins so far this year, losing to the Brew Crew in early December 3-1. If you’re thinking about betting on the Habs, you’re either a lifelong fan or a lover of the underdogs.
Betting on the Boston Bruins (20-12-4)
The Boston Bruins have been turning their game around at the right time. They were .500 through 18 games to start the year, but since mid-November have gone 12-7. Slowly but surely the team is making a comeback. They were touted in the off-season to finish behind the pack and out of the playoffs. The loss of Milan Lucic and Dougie Hamilton seemed like massive obstacles to overcome this past summer as well. Through the first half of the year though, the Bruins haven’t missed the pair.
Lucic is starting to turn into the player the Kings wanted, putting up 22 points before New Years. Hamilton, on the other hand, has been a huge disappointment in Calgary with 13 points in 36 games. He wasn’t brought in for his points per se, but he did put up 42 points in 72 games in his rookie year (2014-15).
Boston is coming off a huge 7-3 over Ottawa on Tuesday. A game that saw Brad Marchand low bridge Mark Borowiecki, but get no penalty on the play. Since then Marchand has been suspended three games by the league. After multiple career suspensions he’s been labelled a repeat offender, and with the recent ruling will miss the Winter Classic.
Writer’s Prediction: Boston is hot right now and won’t miss Marchand. Brew Crew dominates 5-2.
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