Notes taken from another site:
:00hour
Later in the evening the Leafs host the Canadiens in a matchup that?s being billed as the game of the year. The Leafs sit just one point behind the Habs and the No. 8 seed and can eliminate their age-old rivals with a win in regulation time. Montreal can clinch a playoff berth with a victory in regulation or overtime.
With the game so critical for both clubs, books have simply let the venue determine who the favorite is and set the Leafs at -129.
?The Leafs (have opened) as small favorites just because they have home-ice advantage,? explains Sindall. ?From here books will probably just let the action dictate where the line goes.?
Paying a little extra for home ice seems reasonable considering the home team has won each of these teams? last five meetings. That?s especially true considering Leafs bettors are getting a number of other advantages for free.
?Montreal is not a great road team (16-21-1-2) and they?ll be playing in Toronto where the atmosphere won?t exactly be friendly,? says Klein. ?And are they going to start Jaroslav Halak (in goal)? He?s been the key to this run they?ve made, but it?s a lot of pressure for a 21-year-old goalie. But the other choice is Cristobal Huet, who hasn?t started (since Feb. 14 due to a hamstring injury).
?There are just too many question marks with Montreal here.?
Bettors who are going to back Montreal are best advised to do so on lines that include the results of overtime and the shootout. The Habs are paying a little more (+126 compared to +119) on regulation-only odds, but the Leafs must secure a regulation win in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. An overtime win for Toronto would see the Leafs and Habs tied with 91 points each, but Montreal owns the tiebreaker by virtue of more wins on the season.
?If it?s tied late in the game the Leafs will probably pull the goalie and go for the win,? says Klein. ?But if you think the Habs can push them to overtime, take them on the overtime line. It would be very hard for the Leafs to concentrate after that.?
:00hour
Later in the evening the Leafs host the Canadiens in a matchup that?s being billed as the game of the year. The Leafs sit just one point behind the Habs and the No. 8 seed and can eliminate their age-old rivals with a win in regulation time. Montreal can clinch a playoff berth with a victory in regulation or overtime.
With the game so critical for both clubs, books have simply let the venue determine who the favorite is and set the Leafs at -129.
?The Leafs (have opened) as small favorites just because they have home-ice advantage,? explains Sindall. ?From here books will probably just let the action dictate where the line goes.?
Paying a little extra for home ice seems reasonable considering the home team has won each of these teams? last five meetings. That?s especially true considering Leafs bettors are getting a number of other advantages for free.
?Montreal is not a great road team (16-21-1-2) and they?ll be playing in Toronto where the atmosphere won?t exactly be friendly,? says Klein. ?And are they going to start Jaroslav Halak (in goal)? He?s been the key to this run they?ve made, but it?s a lot of pressure for a 21-year-old goalie. But the other choice is Cristobal Huet, who hasn?t started (since Feb. 14 due to a hamstring injury).
?There are just too many question marks with Montreal here.?
Bettors who are going to back Montreal are best advised to do so on lines that include the results of overtime and the shootout. The Habs are paying a little more (+126 compared to +119) on regulation-only odds, but the Leafs must secure a regulation win in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. An overtime win for Toronto would see the Leafs and Habs tied with 91 points each, but Montreal owns the tiebreaker by virtue of more wins on the season.
?If it?s tied late in the game the Leafs will probably pull the goalie and go for the win,? says Klein. ?But if you think the Habs can push them to overtime, take them on the overtime line. It would be very hard for the Leafs to concentrate after that.?
