Hockey betting Saturday will feature a bet on hockey matchup between a leading contender from the East against a rebuilding team from the West as Edmonton hosts Montreal. Hockey expectations are quite high for the Montreal Canadiens this year while not much is expected from the Edmonton Oilers by those who bet on hockey. Montreal got off to a lethargic start to the hockey season with an even 2-2 split in their first 4 games. The Edmonton Oilers were also an even split for everyone that bet on hockey with them as they were 1-1 to start the year.
The Canadiens defense has been a cause for hockey concern so far as they were out shot by a staggering 81-44 margin in their first 2 games as goaltender Carey Price impressed those who bet on hockey with the Habs with stellar performances against the barrage. But Montreal suffered an embarrassing 7-1 hockey betting defeat at Vancouver on Wednesday that exposed their flaws and lack of depth. The Canadiens miss defensemen Andrei Markov and Ryan O’Byrne who are both out with injuries. The Canucks had 3 easy breakaway goals against Montreal in that hockey betting blowout that was due in large part to the absence of those two key defensemen.
Montreal has had hockey betting problems in western Canada recently as they have started off 0-2 on this road trip that ends with this matchup. Last year the Habs had a hockey betting mark of 0-3 in their western Canadian swing.
Edmonton head coach Pat Quinn is in his first hockey betting season at the helm of the Oilers and has brought a far more physical style of play with him.
Quinn said that he wanted to bring the hockey betting strategy change based on last year’s scouting reports.
“The scouting report on this team last year was small forwards, push them around, get them off the puck,” Quinn said. “We wanted more physicality.”
Goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin arrived from Chicago and has been inconsistent so far but came through with 3 shootout saves in Edmonton’s 5-4 hockey betting win over Dallas on Tuesday.