Canadiens vs Bruins | Game 5 Prediction & Pick

Montreal Canadiens vs. Boston Bruins NHL Pick

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After snatching a pair of wins in Montreal, the Boston Bruins will attempt taking advantage of a second chance at home ice advantage, while grabbing the series lead when they host the Canadiens on Saturday night in Beantown.

Date/Time: Saturday, April 23, 7:05 PM ET
Venue: TD Garden in Boston, MA.
Broadcast: CBC

Money Line: Boston -190, Montreal +160
Spread: Boston -1 ½
Over/Under: 5

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From October to early April, the Boston Bruins couldn’t buy a point at the Bell Centre. Now just one night after David Krejci and Nathan Horton scored first-period goals to lead Boston to a 4-2 win over Montreal on Monday night, Michael Ryder scored 1:59 into overtime to give Boston a 5-4 victory on Thursday, tying the first-round series 2-2.

The former Canadiens’ winger also scored in the second period, as the Bruins won both games at the Bell Centre after dropping the first two games of the Eastern Conference series at home.

Patrice Bergeron and Andrew Ference added goals for the Bruins while goalie Tim Thomas made 34 saves.

Former King Michael Cammalleri had a goal and two assists for Montreal, and Brent Sopel, Andrei Kostitsyn and P.K. Subban also scored. The Canadiens, who held a 29-12 advantage in shots after Kostitsyn’s goal 7:47 into the second, blew leads of 1-0, 3-1 and 4-3.

Keeper Carey Price stopped 30 shots, and did everything he could to keep his team in the lead in front of a raucous capacity crowd of 21, 273 that erupted in a guttural roar when the Bruins Ference made an obscene gesture—which he said happened accidentally—after scoring midway through the second to draw Boston to 3-2.

The series is heating up for sure, and it will be interesting to see how Montreal will respond on Saturday. The Canadiens has gone on to lose the series the previous two times it has opened 2-0 on the road. Ryder scored in overtime for the Canadiens on the road in the second game of their first-round series against Carolina in 2006. Montreal then went on to drop the next four games.

Meanwhile, Bruins’ winger Mark Recchi, who played for Carolina in that series, also was with the Canadiens when they faced the same fate against the Rangers in 1996.

The key to a win for both teams lies in their ability to stick to their game plan rather than changing when they are behind. While goaltending could end up being the winning ingredient in this series, if Boston’s offense is flat, they will lose. Meanwhile, the Habs need to make sure that they throw hits as often as Boston, and stay in the game physically. Boston needs to play their up-tempo, highly aggressive game that enables them to create turnovers in the neutral zone and get down ice quick on odd-man rushes.

If both teams play their A games, this has the potential to be the best first round matchup in the playoffs this year.

The odds makers have the Boston Bruins as a -1.5 point favorite with an over/under of 5.

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Matt’s Free Prediction:  Bruins – While I expect the Canadiens to take one at the Garden, Boston has regained its momentum and returning home should only propel them to a victory on Saturday.

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