The Montreal Canadians will try and get back into the Eastern Conference Finals and pick up a much needed win vs. the hockey betting odds on Thursday. So far in their series against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Canadians have not even scored a goal. Those making a hockey bet expect Montreal to bounce back at home.
Hockey betting odds favor Montreal on Thursday against Philadelphia. The Canadians are a -125 favorite in Game 3. The Flyers lead the Eastern Conference Finals two games to none as goaltender Michael Leighton has shut out the Canadians in the first two games. He was brilliant in Game 2, making 30 saves in the 3-0 win. Danny Briere and Simon Gagne scored power-play goals, and Ville Leino also scored for the Flyers in Game 2. Leighton has a shutout streak of 165 minutes, 50 seconds. Leighton is making the big saves and Briere has been scoring the goals. “I’m just trying to ride the wave,” Briere said.
Philadelphia has not won the Stanley Cup since 1975 but they are now two games away from having a chance to win the title. If Leighton continues to play the way he has so far the Flyers have a chance. Many people in Philadelphia are reminded of Bernie Parent who had back-to-back playoff shutouts in the 1970’s. “It’s an honor, but the win means more to me,” said Leighton, “But it could have been 3-1 and I’d be just as happy.”
Nothing is going right for Montreal in this series. They can’t score against Leighton and they have not been able to contain the Flyers on the power play. Philadelphia had two power play goals while Montreal was 0-for-4 in Game 2. The Canadians are now 0-for-8 in the series. “We had some good chances, we competed, but the difference was the special teams,” said Montreal head coach Jacques Martin. “We’ve got to do something,” said Montreal center Scott Gomez, “We’ve got to create more in front, get our shots through.”
Those making a hockey bet should know that the Flyers have now won six consecutive playoff games for the first time since 1995. “The thing I like is that we all feel we haven’t played out best game yet, and we still have a lot to prove,” said Briere. “I think that’s a positive — that we still have more in the tank. We’ve been winning, but it’s not a fluke.” The Flyers have never lost a series in their history when leading 2-0, winning all 16 times in that situation.