Game of the Night - Canadiens at Rangers

This is such a great time of year to be a hockey betting fan .There are huge games every night between teams that are fighting tooth and nail to get into the post season, with tonight being no exception. Tonight the Montreal Canadiens travel to the Big Apple to face the New York Rangers in a battle of two hot teams fighting for the final few spots in the Eastern Conference.

The Canadiens have been the hotter of the two teams, have won five straight to put them in a tie for sixth place in the East with 76 points. The Rangers have a modest two game winning streak going, but that puts them at 71 points, one back of the Boston Bruins for the eighth and final spot.

The Rangers should be feeling great coming into tonight’s matchup. Not only did they beat a very tough Philadelphia Flyers team last time out, but the team they are chasing, the Boston Bruins, have lost 4 of five and appear to be playing their way right out of eighth place.

In their 3-1 triumph over Philly, the offense came from an unlikely source. It was Sean Avery, who was a healthy scratch the game before that notched a pair of goals to lead New York over their Atlantic Division rivals.

Here are some NHL betting trends for this Eastern Conference showdown tonight:

• Home team is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings.
• Over is 8-1 in the last 9 meetings.
• Under is 10-4-1 in the last 15 meetings in New York.
• Canadiens are 1-6 in the last 7 meetings in New York.

This will be the final regular season showdown between these original six rivals. Montreal has the edge so far, having taken two of three from the Rangers, the last being their most decisive. Montreal blew New York right out of the building with a 6-0 trouncing when the clubs last met in January 23 from the Bell Center.

The Canadiens have taken five of eight overall in the series, but have dropped two straight in New York. It’s the Rangers success at home against the Habs that makes this a tough call as the Blueshirts have won six of their last seven in the Big Apple.

Despite the trends, Montreal is shooting for a sixth straight victory tonight. The Canadiens also come into this one well rested, last playing Saturday night when they edged the Boston Bruins 3-2 from Quebec.

As the playoff picture stands right now, Montreal is tied with Philadelphia for the sixth spot in the East, while the Rangers are just one point behind Boston for the conference's last playoff spot.

Both teams are coming in on winning streaks, and both have something to play for. With this game so tough to call, you have to rely on your trends and take the home team, which also happens to be the team with its back against the wall, fighting for their post season lives. At -145, my play is on the Rangers.

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