Posted on 4/24/2008 3:50:07 PM

NHL Furious Playoff Picks 2008 – Montreal Strikes Jackpot Again, Play Flyers

By Tim Furious

Philadelphia Flyers (42-29-11) vs. Montreal Canadiens (47-25-10)

Thursday, April 24th --- Bell Centre, Montreal --- 7:00pm EST

Series: Tied 0-0

NHL Betting Line: Montreal -190 (5.5)

If you thought Boston’s record against Montreal (0-14 SU against Montreal heading in to the playoffs) was ridiculous heading in to the playoffs, check out Philadelphia’s. The Flyers are 0-5 SU I the last 5 games against the Canadiens and are 1-5 SU in the last 6 games on the road in Montreal. The Habs online hockey betting faithful must be licking their chops for this matchup.

Yet, the seven-game, heart-attack series that Montreal just escaped has to remind the NHL betting community of one thing – the regular season means nothing when the playoffs roll around. You got your ticket to the dance, and that’s all that counts. The Flyers pushed a ferocious Capitals team to the brink in the last series and are going to need to continue their surprising play if they hope to dismantle the stout, Montreal Canadiens.

Of course, all eyes will be on Daniel Briere, the Quebec native who spurred an offer from the Habs to play for his home-town team. Briere has 11 points (6 goals, 5 assists) in the playoffs thus far and has been the key cog in the turnaround for the once-dismal Flyers. Philadelphia overall scores 3.02 goals per game. How Briere responds to the reaction he gets from the Montreal crowd will be pivotal. The Flyers go as far as Briere can take them.

The goalie battle will be interesting as twenty-year old Carey Price takes on the veteran Martin Biron. Price allowed only 2.14 goals per game against Boston, but was blown up in Games 5 and 6 for five-goals apiece. However, Price may be young, but he is as steady and calm as they come. He has the rare ability to not let his emotions get to him, and his bounce-back performance in Game 7 resulted in a shut-out. We need to see Price over a longer period to see whether or not his first playoff series was an aberration, or if he really is a 2.14 GAA goalie.

Biron, on the other hand, allowed 2.67 goals against and had one shut-out in his series against the Capitals. The problem for Biron is Montreal’s speed. And Philadelphia has the slowest blue-line in the entire playoffs. They allow 31.82 shots on goal per game, and Biron is simply not the kind of goalie that can deal with high pressure situations. Simply put, his defensemen can’t defend him properly, and Montreal has been dirty at getting in to the crease.

The Habs are 7-1 SU in the last 8 games in the Bell Centre, and are undefeated this season against Philadelphia. I think that coaching had a tremendous affect on the last series against Boston because Claude Julien was so familiar with Montreal. But this series is easily Montreal’s to lose. And look for them to reward their betting faithful by getting this series off to a proper start. Good luck with those fans, Briere.

NHL Furious Free Pick – Montreal -190 (OVER)

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