Red Wings vs Canadiens Hockey Odds
The Detroit Red Wings will make the trip north of the border on Wednesday for a game against an Original Six rival, the Montreal Canadiens.
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Detroit Red Wings (26-20-12) at Montreal Canadiens (32-21-6)
Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Venue: Bell Centre
City: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
O/U Odds: 5
Money Line: Montreal -150, Detroit +130
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The game marks the first contest back from the Olympic break for both sides. Neither was happy to see the break come, as Detroit had gone into the break on a 3-1-1 run, while Montreal closed out their pre-Olympic schedule winning three games in a row.
These teams have already met once this season, and it was the Red Wings who took that one handily, winning by a final score of 4-1 at Joe Louis Arena. Red Wings Gustav Nyquist and Niklas Kronwall each had a goal and an assist in that game, while backup goaltender Jonas Gustavsson stopped 30 of the 31 shots he faced.
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At the other end of the ice, Carey Price let four of 26 shots get past him. Now he and Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock will oppose one another after working together in Sochi, where Price played brilliantly. (3:30PM ET Edit PRICE IS OUT FOR 2 GAMES. Announced this AM)
In Sochi, Price went 5-0 with a 0.59 GAA, stopping 55 shots combined in the semifinal and gold-medal games before being named the top goaltender in the tournament.
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Gustavsson isn’t expected to be in goal this time around, as starter Jimmy Howard is back and healthy, though he may want to sit this one out. In his last game against Montreal, Howard gave up four goals in just 20 minutes of action, letting eight of 12 shots get past him.
In his career, Howard’s numbers against Montreal aren’t any better, as he’s posted a 3.32 GAA and a .882 save percentage against the Canadiens in his career.
The Red Wings won’t be getting one player back from the Olympic break, as Henrik Zetterberg suffered a back injury in Sochi and is expected to miss the rest of the regular season.
On the flip side, the Canadiens are expected to get a boost to their lineup in this matchup as center Alex Galchenyuk is expected to return to the lineup for the first time since Jan. 6 when he suffered a broken hand. Galchenyuk had 23 points in 44 games for the Habs before going down with that injury.
There’s no telling how either of these goaltenders will handle the return to action after a long layoff.
Howard hasn’t been asked to stop a puck in game action in better than two weeks, while Price will have to adjust back to playing without an all-world defense playing in front of him.
Each of the past four meetings between these teams has produced no fewer than five goals.
The over is 4-1-2 in the Red Wings’ last seven games versus Atlantic opponents.
The play: Over 5
