The Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens are two of the original six teams to start that NHL, and their rivalry is as strong as ever these days. Will the Habs make it 3 straight victories over the defending champions tonight?
The two Northeast Division opponents went toe-to-toe in
the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs and have already squared off twice
this season. The Habs swept both matchups on October 27th and
October 29th, and they’ve dominated this series quite a bit lately.
The Bruins enter with an eight-game winning streak on the
line and will try to change that, but history does have a tendency of repeating
itself.
Monday, November 21th
NHL odds boards list the Bruins at -135 with the total at 5.5. When it comes to making your NHL picks tonight, should you expect the Bruins to continue their streak, or will the Canadiens cash at the sportsbooks with yet another win over Boston?
The Boston Bruins can win because…
They are hot as a pistol. They currently own the longest
winning streak in the NHL right now with eight straight wins and they’ve been
styling on their foes in recent outings. Only two of their eight wins in this
recent steak came by less than two goals and they have outscored their
opponents 42-14 in that span.
Everyone knows that the Boston Bruins get consistent, rock-solid
goaltending, which means that scoring is the key to their success. It’s not
that all-world goaltender Tim Thomas was struggling before – he has a 1.92 GAA
this season and hasn’t allowed more than three goals in any one game – but now
that he’s getting support, his performances are starting to shine.
He’s won five straight while allowing just eight goals in
the process. When he’s getting support from his offense, the Bruins are tough
to beat.
They’ve lost twice to the Habs already but both losses
came when the Bruins were in their early-season funk. Monday’s contest offers
them a chance to prove that they have grown from that time.
The Montreal Canadiens can win because…
The Habs have their number.
Whether you want to look back to the postseason last
year, where the Canadiens pushed the Bruins to overtime in the seventh and
deciding game, or if you want to look at the first two meetings this season –
both of which Montreal has won – the reality is that they just match up against
Boston pretty well. As a matter of fact, the home-and-home series that the
Canadiens swept still stands as Boston’s last losses.
Part of why the Habs play so well against Boston is
because they know how to solve the Bruins netminders. Thomas has just 10 wins
in 29 starts against Montreal while posting a 3.01 GAA. Meanwhile, Rask is
1-6-1 lifetime against Montreal with a 2.76 GAA.
As for the Habs, they continue to get great efforts from
their goaltender Carey Price. He’s posted back-to-back shutout wins and has
allowed more than two goals in a game just once in his last 10 games.
He has no problem facing Boston as he has a lifetime
record of 15-4-2 against them with a 2.60 GAA.
Outlook & NHL Betting Prediction:
The Bruins are playing very well right now but it’s not
like the Canadiens are slacking. They are 4-1-1 in their last six and are
coming off an impressive shutout of the New York Rangers, who had previously
won seven straight.
This is a tough call as Montreal seems to have Boston’s
number. As mentioned above, both Bruins goaltenders struggle against the
Canadiens and the Habs have won seven of the last 10 meetings at home and 14 of
the last 21 meetings overall.
Take a flier on the Habs Monday night as they’ll find a
way to keep Boston’s main weapons
in check.
NHL Picks: Canadiens