Coyotes vs Canadiens NHL Line & Handicapping
Struggling Teams Clash Tuesday Night – Habs Host Coyotes
The Phoenix Coyotes, losers of three of their last five games travel to Montreal Tuesday night to play a Habs team that had looked unbeatable about a week ago when they were in the midst of a 9-0-1 stretch.
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Phoenix (18-9-3-2) at Montreal (20-12-0-3)
When: 7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Where: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec
Broadcast: RDS, FS-A, TSN-HABS
Coyotes vs. Canadiens Betting Lines
Phoenix Coyotes +1½ -260 +118 Ov 5½ +116
Montreal Canadiens -1½ +220 -130 Un 5½ -128
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But the team has lost three of four games heading into Tuesday night’s contest. Montreal has absolutely owned Phoenix – the Canadiens have not lost to the Coyotes since Dec. 9, 1998, with 10 wins and three ties since that date.
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The Phoenix Coyotes head to Montreal with a good offense and a surprisingly bad defense. The team averages 3.12 goals per game – good for fourth in the NHL but allows 3.06 per game- 25th in the league.
There is a chance that Shane Doan may not suit up Tuesday – not a good sign when Radim Vrbata has one point in five games and David Moss is pointless in three. They will need to score some goals – the usually dependable Mike Smith hasn’t looked great this year – Smith has an unflattering 2.98 GAA and .911 save percentages in 27 games on the season.
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The Montreal Canadiens have played a lot of hockey – 11 games in 19 days. Fatigue is starting to show – the team has gone 1 for their last 19 on the power play which is a big part of their offense.
The offense has gone south – three goals total in the last four games – the lone win over that span was a 1-0 win against the Islanders. Everyone is struggling – Alex Galchenyuk has three goals in five games but everyone else has been brutal. Brian Gionta and Max Pacioretty each have one point in their last five games, PK Subban has one point in seven games and Brenden Gallagher is pointless in three. Something has to give!
Despite the offensive struggles Carey Price is back to form after a brief hiccup – he is 1-1-0 with a 1.00 GAA and .958 save percentage in his last two starts.
Dave’s FREE NHL Betting Prediction
A few trends to consider:
• MON are 3-11 in their last 14 Tue. games.
• Under is 7-2 in MON last 9 vs. Pacific.
• MON are 6-2 in their last 8 home games.
• PHO are 1-12-3 in the last 16 meetings.
• Over is 8-1-2 in the last 11 meetings.
The Montreal Canadiens are a far better team than they have been playing. They are going to snap out of their funk at some time. I think it happens Tuesday. This game comes down to goaltending – I like Carey Price a whole lot more than I like Mike Smith at the moment.
Pick: Montreal Canadiens -130
