Canadiens Look To Avoid Sweep At Hands Of Penguins

The Montreal Canadiens looked awful in back-to-back blowout losses at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Philadelphia Flyers. It isn’t about to get any easier either. The struggling Canadiens will look to find a way to get back on track when they visit the first-place Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night. Pittsburgh has found a way to win four-straight games despite both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin missing time, and they have won each of the first two online sports betting meetings versus Montreal this season.

Montreal Canadiens @ Pittsburgh Penguins
Wednesday April 17, 2013 – 7:00 PM ET
CONSOL Energy Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
NHL Sports Betting Line: Pittsburgh – 150

The Penguins have all but locked up the top seed in the conference, and the fact that they continue to win games despite being without some of their top guns makes their play that much more impressive. Pittsburgh took the first meeting between these clubs 7-6 in overtime, and then blanked the Canadiens 1-0 in their last meeting, so the first two games could not have been more different.

NHL Betting Preview: Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens have lost their way recently, and poor goaltending has been a big reason why. Carey Price was having a strong season before he was pulled against both the Maple Leafs and Flyers, and he needs to find a way to bounce back after having one of his worst outings of the year against Pittsburgh earlier this season. Montreal was the better team the last time these teams played one another, but a couple of posts and big saves by Marc-Andre Fleury was the difference in a shutout loss. The Canadiens went from one of the worst teams in the NHL to a contender for the Northeast division title in big part due to head coach Michel Therrien’s system, and they need to be more committed to bounce back.

NHL Betting Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins brought in Brenden Morrow, Jarome Iginla, and Jussi Jokinen before the trade deadline in order to surround Crosby and Malkin with even more talent. Instead, that trio has led the way during a four-game win streak with Crosby out and Malkin missing time as well. Pittsburgh is easily one of the most complete teams in the league and they have shown that in two wins over Montreal. The Penguins rank first in the league in goals per game and are still a top-10 team in terms of goals per game allowed, and they continue to find ways to get the job done regardless of who is in and out.

NHL Betting Preview: Outlook & Pick

The online sports betting line for this game could change depending on whether Malkin plays, but if he doesn’t that should only make the line more lucrative to players that want to take the Penguins anyway. The Canadiens have looked awful in back-to-back losses to teams behind them in the standings, and it won’t get any easier on the road against one of the best teams in the NHL.

NHL Betting Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins