For a team that began the NHL playoff betting as an #8 seed with no hope of advancing against the #1 seed Washington Capitals in the race to the Stanley Cup betting, the Montreal Canadiens haven’t done to badly for themselves. However, the end of the road could be near for this hockey betting Cinderella as the team now finds itself 1-2, trailing the defending Stanley Cup odds champion Pittsburgh Penguins heading into their Game 4 May 6th matchup.
Adversity is nothing new for this Habs squad as the entire 2010 Stanley Cup betting competition has been one big lesson in adversity. But the Penguins have boat load more experience in the NHL playoff betting than the Habs and they also have a boat load more talent. The Caps were a terrific team, but lacked experience. But the Pens know what it takes to win the NHL playoff betting action and the team knows how to make the necessary adjustment to get tough hockey betting wins in the post season as evidenced by their gritty 2-0 win in Game 3 in Montreal.
If the Canadiens are unable to win Game 4 on their home ice the team’s Stanley Cup odds dreams are all but dashed. Down 1-3 in the second round of the Stanley Cup betting action is not a place that teams come back from. The story heading into Game 4 of his hockey betting series will be the same as every other game in this NHL playoff betting series. Goalie Jaroslav Halak must play perfectly and limit the Pens to a goal or less for the Habs to have any real chance to win.
Montreal is not a great goal scoring team and will not more than two maybe three goals –on a very good night- into the net. But even if Halak holds Pittsburgh to a single goal in the Game 4 hockey betting action, it still may not be enough as evidenced in Game 3. The Pens defense turned it up a notch and held the Canadiens to just 18 shots on goal –a devastating number for team this deep in the NHL playoff betting action. The Pens seem to have found the right balance against Halak and Co. and will win Game 3 in another low scoring defensive effort.
