It is funny how things can change over the course of an 82-game season. Early on this season, people were talking about how good the Montreal Canadiens were, and were debating how many games they would end up winning. Down in Florida, all the talk was about how another poor season from the Panthers may well mean that a move to Quebec City would be in the offing. As we head into the final week, the Canadiens have fallen off the face of the earth after their hot start, and the Panthers are putting together one of their best seasons in years. These two teams will clash in Florida on Saturday night, with the Panthers looking at the opportunity to open up a bigger lead at the top of the Atlantic Division. The Canadiens will be looking to play the role of spoiler, so do not count them out. You can wager on this one by visiting the pro hockey betting page at MyBookie.ag.
How To Bet The Montreal Vs Florida NHL Odds, TV & Game Info
When: Saturday, April 1 at 7 PM EST
Where: BB&T Center, Sunrise
TV: FSFL
NHL Odds: TBA
Why bet on the Montreal Canadiens
There are a number of different reasons why the Montreal Canadiens (36-36-6) season went south so quickly, but you have to look at the loss of Carey Price between the pipes was an integral part of the collapse. Price is with the team for their trip to Florida, but whether or not he actually gets any playing time remains to be seen. The Canadiens actually won the first leg of their Florida trip by knocking off the Tampa Bay Lightning, and are now on a modest 2-game win streak. Montreal have really struggled on the road this season, and are 6 games below .500 away from home. This will be the first of back to back games against the Panthers, and Montreal have already lost twice to Florida this season. The Canadiens are averaging 2.6 GPG, and are giving up 2.8 GPG.
Why bet on the Florida Panthers
To say that this has been a surprising season for the Panthers (43-25-9) is putting things a little too mildly. They have opened up a 2-point lead on the Lightning at the top of the Atlantic Division, and they will be looking at these two games versus Montreal as an opportunity to put the race to sleep. While it would be disappointing for the Panthers not to win the division at this point, but the reality is that they are well beyond where anyone thought they would be at this stage of the season. The Panthers are 6-4-0 in their last 10 games, and are a very impressive 23-11-5 on home ice this season. Florida are averaging 2.8 GPG, and are giving up 2.4 GPG.
Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction
Florida already have a pair of wins over the Canadiens this season, and I like the idea of them winning the next 2 and getting the sweep. I definitely like Florida to win on home ice.
Montreal Canadiens 2 Florida Panthers 4
