St. Louis Blues at Montreal Canadiens (-130, 5.5)
The Habs have been slowly dropping in the Eastern Conference standings, sitting in 10th place after losing five of their last seven. Their most recent defeat came in the form of a 6-2 thrashing by the struggling New York Rangers Sunday night.
Montreal was outshot 34-20 by the Rangers in Sunday’s loss, including 15-2 in the second period which saw New York score three unanswered goals and wipe away a 2-0 Canadiens’ lead.
“We played a very strong period and then we gave it away,” Montreal head coach Jacques Martin told reporters. “We had turnovers and a bad play selection. I think it's a matter of us playing the type of hockey we are capable of.”
But Montreal hasn’t been playing up to its potential for a while. The Habs offense has managed two goals or less in six of its last seven games and the power play, ranked second in the league, has gone 1-for-11 in the last two games.
The Blues, on the other hand, have won four of their last five, racking up four goals in three of those four wins.
Pick: Blues
Florida Panthers at New Jersey Devils (N/A)
After a dismal start to the season, the Florida Panthers are back in the playoff hunt and are currently riding a three-game winning streak.
Most of Florida’s recent success can be attributed to the brilliant play of goalie Tomas Vokoun, who earned his fifth shutout of the season in a 1-0 win over the Thrashers Monday night. He has stopped 187 of the last 196 shots directed towards him.
“He's been outstanding all year and he's been very, very good lately,” Panthers coach Peter DeBoer told reporters following Monday’s win. “He's in a real groove and he's given us a lot of confidence. That's been a part of us holding leads. We know we're going to get a big save at the right time, and he did that again tonight.”
The New Jersey Devils have enjoyed a great season, but have recently dropped four of their last five and are averaging a little over a goal in each of those outings.
Pick: Under
