2011 NHL Hockey Free Predictions: Bruins vs Canadiens
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NHL Playoff Betting – Bruins vs Canadiens Game 3 Preview & Pick
Date: Monday, April 18, 2011
Venue: Bell Centre, Montreal, QC
Broadcast: CBC, RDS
Boston Bruins at Montreal Canadiens Betting Lines from Bodog.com
Money Line: Bruins -115, Canadiens -105
Spread: Bruins -1.5
Over/Under: 5
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Well, that wasn’t exactly what the Bruins had in mind for Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference quarter-final.
After all Boston’s hard regular-season work for home ice against the sixth-seeded Montreal Canadiens…two home losses? One goal over two games? Ouch. It’s tough to put a finger on what went wrong – because many different things did.
The main problem in Game 2, of course, was Zdeno Chara’s absence. The hulking blueliner was hospitalized Friday night with dehydration and wasn’t fit to play on Saturday. His absence left a gigantic hole in the lineup, pun intended.
The Bruins have other respectable, gutsy defenseman, like Dennis Seidenberg and Johnny Boychuk, but no one can match Chara’s combination of punishing physicality, endurance and offensive skill. The captain is irreplaceable. With no Chara policing the back end, the diminutive Montreal forwards like Brian Gionta, Michael Cammalleri and Scott Gomez have far more room to maneuver.
Boston has to hope Chara is ready to play tonight – not only because of his shutdown ability, but also because the Bruins desperately need his shot back on the power play. Tomas Kaberle hasn’t been nearly as good as advertised and needs Chara across from him to be effective with the man advantage. If Chara is out again, the Bruins could have a devil of a time scoring on Carey Price. He’s been virtually unbeatable so far in the series. 
In addition to Chara’s absence and Price’s dominance, the Bruins have another mountain to overcome tonight: the Bell Centre. They haven’t won in Montreal’s home building this season. That’s understandable. Few NHL arenas, if any, can match the passion, knowledge and enthusiasm of the Hab fans. They can play a sixth-skater role on many nights.
The pick:
In all honesty, the matchup looks grim on paper for the Bruins. They’re struggling to score, they’re facing a hot goalie, they haven’t won in Montreal this season and Chara (a) won’t play or (b) likely won’t be 100 per cent if he does.
Still – Game 3 is also Boston’s gut-check game. This is still a good team – deep on defense, outstanding at center, and with big, bruising wingers like Milan Lucic. It also has Tim Thomas, who was the NHL’s best goalie all season. If there is ever a time for Claude Julien to get the most out of the talent on his roster, it’s now. So I say Boston finds a way to win tonight – maybe even in overtime.
Bruins vs Canadiens prediction: Bruins 3, Canadiens 2
Money Line: Bruins -115
Spread: Canadiens +1.5
Over/Under: Push
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