NHL Best Team Prop Bet for Montreal Canadiens vs. New York Rangers
By Mark Wallis
What a crazy week of hockey it has been! Tonight's matchup between Eastern Conference rivals the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers is sure to be an exciting one.
The Canadiens are not going to the postseason, but that doesn't mean they are just going to coast through the rest of the season.
These games are about setting a tone for next year, getting younger players some quality game time, and playing the role of spoiler.
The New York Rangers are not only playoff bound, they are in the lead for the coveted President's Cup trophy.
The President's Cup would assure that the Rangers maintained home ice advantage throughout the playoffs. Currently New York maintains a slight, one point lead over the Boston Bruins.
And with only a handful of games remaining on the schedule -- EVERY point counts!
New York is also the very heavy favorite in this game, so instead of playing a side here, I am approaching it by targeting a team for a first period under.
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Montreal Canadiens vs. New York Rangers Prediction and Pick
With this game having such importance for New York, I expect starting goalie Igor Shesterkin to rise to the occasion. Shesterkin has been exceptional all season, at keeping the opposing team off the scoreboard in the first period.
In Shesterkin's 51 starts this season, he has held teams scoreless in the first period in 53% of them. The NHL's league average for goalies with more than 5 starts is just 36%. He has only allowed a first period score in three of his last 16 starts.
Montreal has had trouble scoring in their last five road games- for the whole game, let alone the first period. They are averaging just 24.8 SOG and scoring an average of 2.40 goals a game in that stretch.
PICK: Montreal Canadiens u0.5 1st Period (-120)
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.