2014 – 2015 NHL Record:
3 – 0 @ +3.2 Units
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Montreal Canadiens -125
Typically I would look to back a team that is seeking ‘playoff revenge’ early in the regular season, but this scenario is a little different. First, these teams hate each other. It’s a huge rivalry and I’m sure players from both sides have these games circled on their calendars. Second, I think Montreal will be just as motivated as Boston to play well in this game. Last year these teams played an epic 7-game playoff series for a chance to play in the Stanley Cup, with Montreal coming back to win the last 2 games, outscoring Boston 7 to 1 in the process. After the game, there was an incident in the handshake-line, where allegedly one of the Boston players told two Montreal players that “I’m going to f***ing kill you next year.” While ‘bulletin board’ material isn’t a big factor in an individual sport like baseball, it could be a factor in a physical, effort-based, plus team-based sport like hockey. Third, this is Boston’s 2nd road game of a b2b and their 3rd game in 4 days. They played a tight game against Colorado at home on the 13th, losing by 1 on a goal in the final seconds. Then yesterday, they played another really close and physical game @ Detroit, going to OT and then winning it in the shoot-out. By comparison, Montreal had 2 days off to rest and prepare for this one. Could be a pretty significant advantage from a physical standpoint, especially in the later period(s). And finally, the last factor that is in Montreal’s favor is that this is their home opener. Canadians are crazed about hockey as they love their sport probably even more than Americans love football. You better believe it that these fans at the game will treat this one as if it is a game 7 of a Stanley Cup Final. At the same time, that energy should rub off on the players as well, though I’m sure they’ll already be pretty jacked up to play their rival tonight. Lots of strong factors in Montreal’s favor here. Besides, Boston hasn’t looked very impressive at all so far. They are 2-3, but their first win against an 0-2-2 Flyers team came in the final minutes of the game and of course they needed a SO to win @ Detroit yesterday. Their -4 goal-differential so far is even worse than Montreal’s -3, who are 3-1 but lost their last game 7-1 @ Tampa, which was their 4th straight road-game. In any case, I think this is a great situational spot for the Canadiens, and if last year’s post-season wasn’t a total fluke, then we can confidently say that this team is just as good as the Bruins if not better. Back them with confidence tonight.
Good Luck