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NHL Betting - Original 6 Throwdown

Bookmark and Share by Dave Bond

The Olympic Break is over and now it is time to get back to reality for NHL teams. The two week break provided some much needed rest for many NHL players and also served as a kick in the pants to others (namely the Russian and Swedish superstars that were supposed to carry their teams).

The Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins begin their stretch drive with another installment of their Original 6 battle on Tuesday night. This game will go a long way in determining which team is ready to make a move to solidify their playoff position and which team will continue to make life difficult for themselves.

Montreal Canadiens (29-28-6) vs. Boston Bruins (27-22-11)
7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, March 2, 2010
TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, Massachusetts

  • The Boston Bruins rank 30th on offense, and average 2.4 goals per game. The Bruins are 18.1% on the power play and have 36 power play goals.
  • The Montreal Canadiens rank 25th on offense, and average 2.5 goals per game. The Canadiens are 24.6% on the power play for a total of 48 power play goals.
  • The Bruins average 2.5 goals per game at home, and give up 2.4 goals against on defense.
  • The Canadiens average 2.3 goals per game on the road, and give up 2.9 goals against on defense.

    • NHL Moneyline: Montreal: +155 : Boston: -175

    Montreal Canadiens

    Montreal currently sits in eighth place in the Eastern Conference but hit a bit of a speed bump before the Olympic break. They lost two straight games and had a disappointing 4-5-1 record before their break. The one thing that they had going for them was the strong play of goaltender Jaroslav Halak and but his play for Slovakia in the Olympics there is no reason to think that he cannot keep up his pace. Sniper Mike Cammalleri is still a week or so away from his return so the Canadiens will be searching for offense until that time. The Habs are tough to like at this point – they just don’t appear to be a strong and confident bunch.

    Puck Line: Montreal: +1 ½ : Boston: - 1 ½

    Boston Bruins

    The Boston Bruins have had their mid-season meltdown already and are looking to finish up their season just as they started – strong. The Bruins had Patrice Bergeron and goaltender Tim Thomas involved in Sunday’s Olympic Gold Medal showdown and feeling are that they will not be quite 100% for their first game back. Still, the Bruins should be a motivated bunch that will be looking to put some breathing room between them and the Canadiens, who sit one point behind them in the standings. The Bruins are healthy with Bergeron and Milan Lucic finally healed after mid-season injuries. I like the Bruins to start regaining their early season form and defeat an offensively challenged Montreal team on home ice.

    Pick: Boston Bruins -175