NHL Hockey Betting: Philadelphia Flyers at Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens got off to a great start last season winning 9 straight to open the season and 19 of their first 26. That was before goaltender Carey Price suffered an ultimately season ending injury and the team went into the toilet. All of that was understandable but for some reason it seems that the NHL fandom has completely forgotten about the Habs heading into the 2016-2017 season with a healthy price and a defense bolstered by the acquisition of the moose like (assuming a moose had a 108 MPH slapshot) Shea Weber from Nashville. It could be that there was a perception that the Canadiens got the ‘short end of the hockey stick’ in the trade that send P.K. Subban to the Predators. Certainly, Subban is the flashier player with the more flamboyant personality–you probably won’t catch Weber rolling around Montreal in a plaid suit–but this was a perfect trade for both teams.
Subban may or may not have gotten a raw deal by the Montreal management and media but he’s a perfect fit in Smashville where head coach Peter Laviolette wants to play a more uptempo style. Oddly enough for a team that is capable of playing suffocating defense (fewest shots on goal against last season) the Predators were much better in the playoffs when they reverted to a more wide open style against Anaheim. Subban is better ‘keying the fast break’ than just about any defenseman in the league with the possible exception of Kris Letang. The Habs needed a more traditional defenseman and Weber could very well be the best prototypical blueliner in hockey. Tough, rugged, a monster in the corners and great on the power play (that aforementioned 108 MPH slapshot is nasty!) he’s a defensive anchor. He’s also as solid of a guy as you’ll find in the NHL, an absolute class act off the ice and a great team leader.
As far as this game is concerned, both teams are good at putting pucks in the net but only one–the Habs–are any good at keeping them out of their own net. Price has looked solid so far and as long as he’s playing well and the Canadiens are scoring goals they’ll be tough to beat.
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