NHL Betting Picks: Montreal Canadiens at Calgary Flames
Added on Feb 20, 2011 by Jack Thurman in
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There’s something that’s really entertaining about NHL hockey played outdoors. US fans had the NHL Winter Classic on New Years’ Day and now Canadian fans get their chance to enjoy the unique spectacle as the Calgary Flames host the Montreal Canadiens in the Heritage Classic at McMahon Stadium. For those of us who bet on sports, it’s adds a unique twist to the usual NHL handicapping equation.
Montreal Canadiens at Calgary Flames
February 20, 2011 3:05 PM Pacific
Calgary’s McMahon Stadium is usually the home field of the CFL Calgary Stampeders but on Sunday afternoon it’ll be the home rink of the NHL’s Calgary Flames. The Flames will host the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL Heritage Classic and have some cool new jerseys made specially for the occasion (worn by Jarome Iginla in the picture accompanying this article). Although playing hockey outdoors is a unique experience for the fans and the players, if you’re looking to bet on NHL action you approach the handicapping process like any other hockey game.
One thing about these outdoor games whether held in the US or Canada is that they’re a big deal for both of the teams involved–that means you’ll likely get a strong effort from both teams as it would take a very unusual set of circumstances for them to be perceived as a ‘letdown’ or ‘lookahead’ candidate. In theory, the outdoor game should favor the more physical, defensively sound team but both of these sides have been pretty strong defensively for most of the year.
That brings us back to handicapping this game like any other NHL regular season matchup–and as such, we have to look at the recent strong play of the Flames and the poor form of the Habs. We’d like to think Montreal isn’t capable of a performance as miserable as the one they put on in Edmonton last time out as they lost 4-1 to the worst team in the NHL. Unfortunately, they’ve been dealing with a ton of injuries though they should get a very important contributor back here as left wing Mike Cammalleri (a former Flame incidentally) returns from injury. It may take him a few games to get back in the swing of things but the Canadiens can use him–he’s one of their better offensive weapons and brings good energy on both ends of the ice.
Montreal beat Calgary at the Bell Centre back in mid January, but the Flames have been one of the hottest (no pun intended) teams in the league since then. The Flames have won 9 of 12 and are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games. They’ve also been very strong on their home ice (the one that’s *inside*). Montreal has lost 5 of 6 and hasn’t looked right on both ends of the ice–the Habs defense in particular has been hit hard by injury but they’re getting some healthy bodies back in the lineup imminently. Flames have dominated head to head play on home ice (8-4-2 L14) and in a tough Western Conference playoff battle this game is intrinsically important to their season.
Bet Calgary Flames -145 over Montreal Canadiens
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