Tonight, the Carolina HURRICANES are hosting the Montreal CANADIENS in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference FINAL. The CANADIENS are coming off of a Game 7 win over the Buffalo SABRES. The HURRICANES are coming off of sweeps of both Ottawa and Philadelphia. Yeah folks, that’s 8 straight wins of playoff hockey. The CANES have not played in 12 days. With the exception of game 4 versus Ottawa all of their games have gone UNDER. At first blush, the matchup for Montreal does not look good. Carolina has steam-rolled their way through all comers. But, not so fast, once you look at the head-to-head action between these 2 clubs you notice that the HABS have beaten Carolina 4 straight times. It is still to be determined whether that long layoff will be a positive or a negative. On the other hand, after a hard 7 game series, are the CANADIENS up to stealing game 1? I expect Montreal to give it their best shot this evening in Raleigh.
Today’s PICK — Montreal CANADIENS +165 — WIN