Canadiens vs Rangers | Betting Preview, Odds, Pick

Montreal Canadiens (35-29-6) @ New York Rangers (31-29-9)
7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

Click Here for more Free Expert NHL Hockey Picks

The New York Rangers will try to cool off the uber-hot Montreal Canadiens at Madison Square Gardens tonight in an attempt to move into the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

• The New York Rangers rank 23rd on offense, and average 2.6 goals per game. The Rangers are 18.8% on the power play and have 48 power play goals.
• The Montreal Canadiens rank 20th on offense, and average 2.6 goals per game. The Canadiens are 23.5% on the power play and have 51 power play goals.
• The Rangers average 2.9 goals per game at home, and give up 2.8 goals against on defense.
• The Canadiens average 2.4 goals per game on the road, and give up 2.8 goals against on defense.

Montreal Canadiens: +125

The Montreal Canadiens have moved on from their mediocre play to become a team that looks like a contender in the eastern Conference. They have won five straight games and have done so without their best offensive player Mike Cammalleri who is still out with a knee injury.

Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta and the Kostitsyn boys have been picking up the slack and have the Canadiens the hottest team in the league. Defenseman Andrei Markov has a five-game point streak in which he has collected one goal and six assists. The goaltending tandem of Jaroslav Halak and Carey Price has been playing well and is avoiding the game changing mistakes that had plagued the Canadiens earlier in the season. Everybody is contributing Montreal’s run and no other team in the NHL needs to succeed more than a Montreal franchise that has been underwhelming in the last decade or so.

New York Rangers: -145

The New York Rangers have won two straight games and are 5-3-2 in their last 10 games. They sit in ninth place in the Eastern Conference and are only one point out of the last playoff spot. With Boston free falling, the Rangers suddenly realize that they have something to play for.

Marion Gaborik has been in a bit of a slump but players like Vinnie Prospal have been picking up the offensive slack. After being benched by Coach John Tortarella, Sean Avery responded in his last game against the Flyers with two goals. The Rangers have been playing as well as they have at any part of the season and have themselves right in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race.

This pick is going to come down to the team that I trust most. The Rangers have scared me all year and they appear to crumble when faced with important games. Montreal has owned the Rangers this season and I like the trend to continue.

Pick: Montreal Canadiens +125

Click Here for more Free Expert NHL Hockey Picks

Montreal Canadiens Betting Trends:

• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Montreal’s last 5 games
• Montreal is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
• Montreal is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
• The total has gone OVER in 8 of Montreal’s last 9 games when playing NY Rangers

New York Rangers Betting Trends:

• NY Rangers are 2-4 SU in their last 6 games
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of the NY Rangers last 6 games at home
• NY Rangers are 3-6 SU in their last 9 games at home
• The total has gone OVER in 8 of the NY Rangers last 9 games when playing Montreal