Devils Host Habs Wednesday Night
The Montreal Canadiens will look to sweep a home-and-home series with the New Jersey Devils.
The New Jersey Devils host the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday night in the second game of a home-and-home series.
The game comes live from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., with the puck scheduled to drop at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Montreal (16-9-3, 35pts) edged New Jersey (11-12-5, 27pts) in a close game north of the border on Monday, emerging with a 3-2 victory at Bell Centre.
The Devils took a first period lead on Steve Bernier’s third goal of the season before the Canadiens took the lead on efforts from Rene Bourque and Max Pacioretty, the latter scoring on the power play. The Devils briefly tied the game in the third thanks to a Michael Ryder score, before Alex Galchenyuk netted the game-winning goal just before the halfway mark of the third period.
Montreal’s defense and goaltending was as responsible for the win as the three goals the team put on the board. Carey Price saved 28 of 30 shots to pick up his 12th win of the season. His New Jersey counterpart, Martin Brodeur, conceded three goals on just 17 shots.
Habs center David Desharnais emerged as the game’s first star thanks to a pair of assists.
The win saw Montreal pick up its 13th point in the last seven games, with just a shootout loss to the Washington Capitals last Friday marring that record. This spell of good form has seen Michel Therrien’s side move into third place in the Eastern Conference standings, just four points shy of the conference-leading Pittsburgh Penguins and with a game in hand.
The win also marked the first time the Habs had defeated the Devils in regulation time at Bell Centre since 2008.
The 3-2 final scored marked another close loss for the Devils. Peter DeBour’s side has lost 11 games this season by a single goal, five of which came in overtime or a shootout. The Devils have also won six games by a one-goal margin, meaning the team has been involved in more close games than most. If you’re betting on Wednesday’s showdown in Jersey, you’ll want to keep this in mind.
New Jersey currently sits just outside the Eastern Conference’s top eight. A win over the Habs would see the Devils leapfrog the New York Rangers, who are idle on Wednesday. With just two victories in their last six, the Devils could do with a win.
Montreal Canadiens vs. New Jersey Devils odds for 12/04/2013
Perhaps the hottest team in hockey right not, the Canadiens (-157) are unsurprisingly favored over the Devils (+143) on the moneyline.
While the Habs have had a tough time of it against the Devils at home in recent years, the same cannot be said of their trips to the Garden State. Over the last four seasons, Montreal is 5-3-0 at the Prudential Center.
Montreal (-305) also opened favored over New Jersey (+255) to cover the 1.5-point spread. However, the Devils’ fondness for one-goal games might make them the better option here.
The over/under sits at 5. Both Montreal (7-17-3) and New Jersey (7-15-6) have favored the under this season, although Monday’s 3-2 final resulted in a push.
After Wednesday’s game, the two sides will meet once more this regular season, a January 14 showdown in Montreal.
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