Eastern Conference Final Gambling?
The Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers will face off in the Eastern Conference Final for a spot in the Stanley Cup Final. This series marks just the 15th time the Original Six franchises will do battle in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with each side claiming victory in seven of those matchups, the most recent on coming in 1996.
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Odds
Series: Montreal -111, New York -109
Stanley Cup: Montreal +300, New York +350
In Canada? Try Pinnacle Sportsbook
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The Canadiens are coming off a hard fought seven-game series win over the Boston Bruins, which followed an easy series victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Meanwhile, the Rangers saw each of their first two series go the distance, beating the Flyers in seven games, then needed another seven games to get past the Penguins, coming back from a 3-1 deficit to win that one.
Forwards
What the Canadiens lack in size, they make up for in skill. Mac Pacioretty came alive in Games 6 and 7, and scored the game-winning goal in deciding Game 7. Thomas Vanek has disappeared occasionally in these playoffs, but he had four goals against the Bruins.
Brendan Gallagher and Lars Eller lead the team with nine points, four goals and five assists each. The team would love to see Rene Bourque re-find the form he was in to start the postseason. Bourque racked up four goals and five points in the first five games of the postseason, but he hasn’t recorded a point in any of the team’s past six games.
Daniel Briere bounced back in a big way after he was a healthy scratch in Game 5, racking up a goal and an assist in Game 7.
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The Rangers would love to get some production from their top line, in particular, Rick Nash. Nash leads the league in playoff shots with 523, but hasn’t found the back of the net a single time in the postseason. Fellow top-liner Derek Stepan had only a pair of assists in the team’s last seven games.
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The team’s third line came up big in the first two rounds. Derick Brassard scored four goals against the Penguins, including the winners in Games 1 and 5. Second-liner Brad Richards matched Brassard’s four goals against the Penguins, including the game-winner in Game 7 against the Penguins.
Defensemen
The best defender in this series will be wearing bleu, blanc, et rouge. P.K. Subban leads the Habs with 12 points, playing a team-high 26:45 per game. The Rangers counter with a top pair of Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh, who will look to shut down Montreal’s top offensive players.
Anton Stralman has also quietly been good for the Rangers, tying for the team lead with five assists and a plus-7 rating.
Goaltenders
The goaltenders are very familiar with one another, as Carey Price and Henrik Lundqvist faced off in the gold medal game at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. This time, Lundqvist is hoping to get the best of his Canadian counterpart.
Price has been big for the Canadiens in the postseason, sporting a 2.15 GAA and a .926 save percentage, going 8-3 with a shutout in the postseason. He came up big in the biggest moments for the team, stopping 55 of 56 shots in Games 6 and 7 against the bruins.
Lundqvist came up big in the closing stages of the conference semifinals as well, stopping 105 of 108 shots in Games 5, 6, and 7. He is tied for the league lead with a .931 save percentage, and ranks second with a 1.99 GAA.
Prediction
The Canadiens showed a lot in ousting a tough Bruins squad, but their main attribute in that one was a willingness to take the Bruins’ cheap shots and not fight back. That’s not something that will help them here. Both sides have a goaltender capable of stealing this series for them, but the Rangers are the more complete team, and while Price will surely steal a game or two, that’s what’s going to put them over the top in the end.
Series prediction: Rangers win 4-2
