NHL Weekend Betting Preview – Killer weekend for the Canadiens
After taking to the ice on Monday and Wednesday the NHL sports betting schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Montreal Canadiens this weekend as they suit up on back-to-back nights against Washington on Friday and Buffalo on Saturday.
Montreal picked up a big win on Wednesday night with a 3-1 victory over Detroit as a +160 road underdog on the NHL odds. Carey Price was strong in nets in the win with 32 saves, while Maxim Lapierre, Tomas Plekanec, and Christopher Higgins all found the back of the net. It wasn’t all good news for Montreal on Wednesday though. Alex Tanguay, who leads the team with eight goals, left the game with a neck injury and his status for this weekend is up in the air.
If Tanguay isn’t able to go on Friday night at least the Canadiens will be facing an equally-shorthanded Capitals squad. Washington is expected to still be without Alexander Semin and Mike Green on Friday night, while Sergei Fedorov is also dealing with a nagging injury that makes him questionable. That long list of injuries did not keep Washington from a win on Wednesday, as they dropped Atlanta 5-3 to snap their three-game losing streak. Alexander Ovechkin carried Washington with three goals and an assist, while Viktor Kozlov netted a goal to go along with a pair of assists.
This is the first matchup this season between Montreal and Washington, but last year they split their season series 2-2. Also worth noting is the fact that Friday’s game will be played in Washington, where the Caps are undefeated in regulation this season.
After facing Washington the Canadiens head back to Montreal to face Buffalo on Saturday night. The Sabres are in action against Pittsburgh on Friday and enter the game five points back of Montreal in the Northeast Division. Buffalo finally snapped a five-game losing streak on Wednesday night with a 3-2 win over Boston. Derek Roy had a pair of goals in the win and appears to be getting out of an early-season slump after notching five points in his last four games.
The Canadiens and Sabres met up in Buffalo on opening night in October when Buffalo edged Montreal 2-1 in a shootout. Thomas Vanek scored for Buffalo and Robert Lang bulged the twine for Montreal, while Carey Price kept Montreal in the game with 35 saves.
