Montreal Canadiens Shake Up NHL Playoffs

Al’s tip for the Stanley Cup went out in the Conference Quarter Finals and he reckons the East is even harder to call at the Semi-Final stage.

Canadiens shake things up
I didn’t see this one coming. Montreal’s series victory over Washington did more than knock off the top seed, it changed the outlook for the entire Eastern Conference. With the Capitals gone teams like the Bruins and Flyers will be far more confident about their Stanley Cup prospects.

Boston and Philadelphia should deliver a tight series that will go at least six games. The Bruins looked impressive knocking off Ryan Miller and the Sabres in the Conference Quarter Finals. They now face a Philadelphia side which continued its regular season dominance over the Devils with a 4-1 series win. Having split their regular season meetings this is a hard series to call. Boston’s late season form should however influence NHL betting in this one. That hot streak coupled with a better than expected performance against the Sabres should give them the edge in the series.

For Montreal it’s a case of déjà-vu. Once again the Canadiens will be significant underdogs against a team that features one of the biggest stars in all of Hockey. Sid the Kid and his buddies know they will have their work cut out for them. Washington outshot the Habs 292 to 194 over seven games but the heroics of Jaroslav Halak proved to be the difference. I like Montreal to win one of the opening two games in Pittsburgh but the Penguins will still win through in six.

Chicago and San Jose show playoff quality
The two favorites in the Western Conference showed ability to battle back from adversity in the Conference Quarter Finals.

The Blackhawks quickly fell into a 2-1 hole against the Predators. Chicago didn’t wilt under pressure, despite attempts by Nashville fans to get under their skin. The Blackhawks battled back however winning three straight, twice on the road, to win 4-2.

The Sharks made equally tough work of Colorado. After going 2-1 down in the series thanks to a freak mistake by Dan Boyle, San Jose came back to win game four in overtime. That was the third and last overtime game in the series as the Sharks moved up a gear. A 5-0 win in game five was followed by a 5-2 in game six to seal the series.

I expect Chicago and San Jose to build on this late-series momentum against Vancouver and Detroit in the Semi Finals. The Red Wings are the team we thought they would be in the playoffs and the Coyotes showed this is a team with too many flaws to overcome San Jose. Likewise the Kings poked enough holes in the Canucks to make it unlikely Vancouver can topple Chicago.

For the best NHL lines as the Conference Semi Finals get under way check out Sports Interaction’s online sports book.