Elite netminders lock horns in Montreal
Two of the NHL’s most explosive offenses are preparing to collide in Quebec. With Carey Price and Henrik Lundqvist on the scene, however, will stellar goaltending provide the main story?
The Canadiens, coming off a 7-1 thrashing at the hands of Minnesota, tackle the Rangers at 7 p.m. ET. Online sports book Bovada.lv gives Michel Therrien’s troops odds of -145 to take care of business at home. Conversely, New York enters the Bell Centre as a +125 underdog.
Price’s GAA rose considerably after the aforementioned beatdown at Xcel Energy Center. Still, the 29-year-old is in the midst of yet another impressive campaign. Just a little more than a week ago, Price was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team for the fifth time in his career.
But can the former Vezina Trophy winner contain the league’s highest-scoring attack? Despite last night’s 4-2 setback to Toronto, the Blueshirts boast 146 tallies through 43 tilts. Michael Grabner leads the way with 19 markers, while Chris Kreider has 17.
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Lundqvist, of course, draws the unenviable task of neutralizing Tomas Plekanec and his friends. The Czech native’s riding a three-game goal streak, and he’s notorious for terrorizing the Rangers. Yet, Alain Vigneault’s players seem to relish the challenge of back-to-back contests. It all amounts to a humdinger of a possible postseason preview.
SATURDAY NHL FREE PICK: RANGERS/CANADIENS UNDER 5.5 GOALS