Betting Online OverviewThe Chicago Blackhawks are barely holding on to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. As the online March Madness betting starts to wind down, Chicago is holding off ninth place Calgary by one point and 10th place Dallas by three points. The Blackhawks hit a sudden goal drought that has not been very helpful as the team tries to defend its Stanley Cup title in this post-season. The Montreal Canadiens are not the kind of team that is likely to give the Blackhawks much of a chance to get their scoring groove back.
The Montreal Canadiens have gone from battling the Boston Bruins for first place in the Northeast Division, to trying to fend off the Buffalo Sabres for sixth place in the Eastern Conference. The sportsbook promo experts are wondering if the Canadiens will fold under the pressure that the Sabres are providing and relinquish their one-point lead in the standings. A 5dimes review of the Canadiens’ play in the past couple of weeks indicates that the Habs are up for the challenge and ready to defend their playoff spot.
Chicago Blackhawks
The NHL Western Conference has been a nightmare for fans of the Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, Calgary Flames and Anaheim Ducks. Those four teams have been swapping positions in the standings all season long. Right now, the Blackhawks hold on to eighth place in the Western Conference and have been playing good hockey. In the last 10 games, Chicago is 5-4-1. The Blackhawks are 19-12-8 on the road, and have been a very aggressive road team lately. There is still some concern about the goaltending in Chicago since Stanley Cup goaltender Antti Niemi went to San Jose in the off-season. But the Blackhawks are facing a situation where they will probably have to win both of their remaining two games to have any shot at making the playoffs.
Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens are slipping a little lately as the team has gone 4-6-0 in the last 10 games. But their last game was a win over the pesky New Jersey Devils in New Jersey. The Habs were able to outskate a very good defensive team and put three goals past legendary goaltender Martin Brodeur. The Blackhawks offer a similar challenge to the Devils in that the Blackhawks play a very tough defensive style of hockey. The Canadiens need to play another gritty game if they want to come away with the win. With only three games left on the schedule, the Canadiens need to put as much room between themselves and the Sabres as possible.
The Bottom Line
The whole feel of this game shifts towards the Canadiens. Montreal is 23-11-6 at home and just coming off a difficult road win. The Blackhawks are still having problems in almost every aspect of their game and they are not going to find the answers to their questions in Montreal.
BSNblog Pick: Montreal Canadiens
