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Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens NHL Picks | Preview

Its NHL betting time once again. The Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens is on tap tonight. Both will be trying to pick up a win with the line opening with Montreal as a -160 favorite in this matchup. The over/under is set at 5.5, here is the handicapping preview…

2011 NHL Hockey Free Predictions: Maple Leafs vs Canadiens

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Toronto Maple Leafs (23-26-6) at Montreal Canadiens (30-20-6)
Date/Time: Saturday, February 12, 2011, 7:00 PM ET
Venue: Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec
Broadcast: RDS (HD), CBC (HD), NHLN-US (HD)
Leafs vs. Habs Betting Lines from sportsbook.com
Spread: OFF
Moneyline: Leafs +140: Canadiens -160
Over/Under: 5.5 goals

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Hockey Day in Canada is here and the oldest and most heated rivalry in Canadian sports headlines what should be a great day of hockey for NHL fans. The Leafs who lost their last game take on a Montreal team that has suddenly hit the skids and has lost three straight.

The Toronto Maple Leafs appear to have turned a corner. Oh wait – this is the Leafs that I’m talking about. Francois Beauchemin has been traded and one of the hottest forwards on the team, Colby Armstrong figures to miss at least a week after experiencing dizziness – seriously! Optimism may be a little premature in Leafs land!

Toronto has been better of late but they still own the 25th ranked offense in the NHL with an average of 2.5 goals per game. Brad Boyce has three points in two games and so does Colby Armstrong – too bad that Armstrong is out for this game. Nikolai Kulemin has also been hot – eight points in six games. Phil Kessel had an assist on Thursday night but he still hasn’t scored in 13 games – 13!

James Reimer deserves to start in goal on Saturday night. Despite the loss, he was spectacular against New Jersey on Thursday and warrants another start just based on that. The Leafs have the 25th ranked defense in the NHL (3.1 goals per game) and most of that damage was done while Jean-Sebastien Guigere was in net for the Leafs.

The Montreal Canadiens have had an interesting week to say the least. They have lost three straight games including a game that they gave up eight goals and participated in six fights. After a spirited loss against Boston, the Habs forgot to show up against the lowly Islanders, resulting in another loss. A loss against the Leafs on Saturday would be a dagger in the heart – expect the Canadiens to bring their A-Game!

Montreal’s offense is 23rd in the NHL – 2.6 goals per game. Although the Habs have certainly been scoring some goals, it has been by committee. Nobody has particularly lit it up. However, the play of Max Pacioretty has been a pleasant surprise and Tomas Plekanec has been solid. PK Subban has also been effective in the offensive zone and has six points in two games. The Canadiens figure to be without Mike Cammalleri once again on Saturday.

The Habs are 9th in the NHL in goals against – 2.5 goals per game. Before Wednesday’s eight goal blowup against Boston, Carey Price was 5-2-2 in nine games with a 2.01 goals against average. Alex Auld played Thursday against New York so Price should be good to go Saturday!

Betting Prediction: The Leafs have certainly turned some heads as of late but without Beauchemin and Armstrong in the lineup they will be hard pressed to hang with the Habs. Montreal is a team that has a knack of bouncing back just when you think that they are down. Look for the Habs to rebound and to remind the Leafs that they are an NHL bottom feeder.

Pick: Montreal Canadiens -160

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By DaveB

Dave B has been a Fantasy Football writer for us for 10 years. A couch potato wannabe, Dave’s insights have been read by 10’s of people for years. He hope’s for world peace + global relaxation. Enjoy and remember only smoke things that are completely natural.