NHL Hockey Betting: Montreal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning

The season is on the line tonight for the Montreal Canadiens as they play Game Six of their best of seven Eastern Conference semifinal series tonight in Tampa Bay. The Lightning lead the series 3-2 meaning that a loss will send the Habs home for the Summer. That only tells part of the story of this series, however. Montreal has been in this ‘win or go home’ position since Game Three and so far they have steadfastly refused to lose. Tampa Bay shocked the hockey world by opening up a 3-0 series lead which included winning Games One and Two at the Bell Centre in Montreal. The low point for the bleu, blanc et rouge was Game Two in which they were shredded 6-2 by their opponents. The momentum may have swung the other way, however, and after Montreal returned the favor with a 6-2 win in Game Four and a win on home ice they’re in a position to set up a decisive Game Seven back in the Hockey Capital of the World.

The ‘contrast in styles’ that we billed before the series hasn’t really come in to play. Tampa Bay’s offense has struggled with the exception of their Game Two outburst as has Montreal’s with the exception of Game Four. That’s not surprising for Montreal but it is surprising for a Tampa team that had the top goals per game ranking in the NHL this season. The bigger surprise is how the Bolts got to this point playing for the most part the Canadiens preferred style of hockey.

Now the pressure is all on Tampa Bay. The Lightning have a good goaltender in Ben Bishop but the problem for them is that the Habs have the best goalie in hockey in Carey Price. The Lightning had the best regular season home record in the NHL but they’re just 3-3 at the Amalie Arena during the playoffs. Montreal could be the Jason Voorhees of the playoffs–they looked like they were dead down 3-0 but the Lightning didn’t finish the job. They’ll regret it and will likely think about the lost opportunity as they head back to Montreal for a decisive Game Seven.

BET MONTREAL CANADIENS +135 OVER TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING