.jpg "Canadiens-at-Bruins-(NBCSN)")
NBCSN has a true rivalry game this week, as the Montreal Canadiens visit the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night. Oftentimes the network claims their Wednesday night game is a rivalry, but in this case it actually is. The Canadiens and Bruins have played each other more than any other two teams in NHL history. This will be the second time in less than a week they will be playing, as they met on Saturday with Boston winning 4-3 in a shootout.
This war on the ice will go down Wednesday, October 20, 2016, at 8 p.m. ET at the Wells Fargo Center. The game will be televised live on NBC.
We'll have NHL odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NHL Wednesday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Canadiens have the edge in this all-time rivalry, winning 360 times, while the Bruins have 277 wins. The Bruins have a long way to go to get even in the all-time series, but they have been gaining ground of late, as they have won 7 of the last 10 meetings. Both Montreal and Boston have had one game since their meeting on Saturday, as the Bruins lost 3-2 at home to Dallas in overtime on Monday, while the Canadiens played the Islanders on Monday night. Boston will be listed as a home favorite in this game on Wednesday night with the total at 5.5.
The 4-3 win by Boston in a shootout on Saturday was exciting, although sloppy, as both teams had a number of prime scoring chances. Brad Marchand scored in the fourth round of the shootout to give Boston the win. It was the first time Montreal head coach Claude Julien had faced his former Boston Bruins team, but he couldn’t get the win, as Boston won in overtime.
Montreal has not been a good road team this season, as they are just 7-13 on the road, with 9 games going over the total, 10 going under, with one push. They are scoring 2.5 goals per game, while allowing 3 goals per contest. Boston is 14-9 at home, with 11 games going over and 12 going under. They are scoring 3.2 goals per game and giving up 2.5 per contest.
Special Teams
The Canadiens are currently outside of a playoff spot in the East and special teams are one reason why. They are 14th on the power play at just over 19% but their penalty killing has been really poor, as they rank 26th in the league at just about 78%. The Bruins have been solid on special teams, as they rank 11th on the power play at nearly 21% and they are 9th in penalty killing at almost 83%.
Key Stat
The teams have split their last ten meetings, but Boston has won the last three, with two of the last three going under. Boston has controlled the series for the most part of late at TD Garden, as they have won 7 of the last 10. The games in Boston have been higher scoring, as six of the last ten, including three of the last four have gone over the total.
Free NHL Picks
If this was a true home and home I might be tempted to take the Canadiens, but it is not. Both teams have had a game in between, so there is no immediate revenge angle to consider, plus Montreal got a point in Saturday’s shootout loss. Montreal has not played well on the road this season and Boston has been solid at home. I will lay the price and take the Bruins in this contest. I also like the total in this game, as both Montreal and Boston have been scoring better of late and the games in Boston have been high scoring recently. I will go over the total in this Wednesday night contest.
NHL Odds: Bruins 5, Canadiens 3
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