MONTREAL CANADIENS @ NEW YORK ISLANDERS
Ice Hockey : North America : NHL
Thursday, November 17th, 2011, 7:00PM US
(12:00AM GMT)

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PREVIEW

These are two teams moving in different directions and I reckon the visitors are the right play. Montreal come into town with a 8-7-3 mark while their hosts, the New York Islanders are 4-8-3. However, The Islanders are on a 4 game losing streak and have dropped 10 of their last 11 matches. They might be home, but what good is that when the team is struggling like that.

Montreal have been on a tear recently, going 7-2-1 in their last 10 games and giving up a miserly 1.9 goals per game. Their last game saw them shut out Carolina, winning 4-0 last night.

New York last played on Tuesday and went down 4-2 to the New York Rangers. Goaltender Evgeni Nabokov is having a terrible stretch, going 1-5-0 in his last six starts. His confidence will be low and their will no doubt be, well, doubt as to how he will handle a Canadiens team that is firing. Nabokov has a 2.87GAA in his career against Montreal and that was while he went 5-2-0. When the team aren't losing, I expect those stats to get worse.

The Islanders have allowed 18 goals in their last 4 games, all losses. Montreal come in hot and I can see them comfortably scoring at least 4. No way they give up that many.

BETTING VERDICT

Take the Montreal Canadiens to win in regulation

The Pick :

Montreal to win

HANDICAP BETTING :

Take the Montreal Canadiens to win in regulation @ 2.60 (Pinnacle)