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Two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference highlight Saturday night’s NHL slate when the Montreal Canadiens invade Madison Square Garden to tangle with the New York Rangers. Game time for this conference clash is set for 7 p.m. (ET).
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Montreal at New York Game Overview<br />
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Montreal is finally finding it form in the month of March with four straight victories after suffering through an extended skid in February where it only won two of its previous eight contests. Despite this erratic play the past few weeks, the Canadiens are still holding down the top spot in the Atlantic Division with 80 points behind a record of 36-21-8 overall that includes a 16-12-4 on the road. The total has stayed UNDER in seven of their last eight games.
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The Canadiens have been able to dial up their defense during this current four-game run with a goals-allowed average of 1.5 per game. Goalie Carey Price stopped 24 of the 25 shots he faced in Thursday’s 2-1 victory at home against Nashville with Montreal closing as a -122 favorite. His goals-against average this season through 49 starts is 2.34 with a .921 save percentage. Left winger Max Pacioretty is the team’s leading point scorer with 31 goals and 25 assists. He has three goals and one assist in this current winning streak.
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The Rangers bounced back from a 4-1 loss to Washington as +113 home underdogs with Thursday’s 2-1 victory on the road against Boston as +137 underdogs. The total stayed UNDER in both of those games. New York has gone 6-3-1 in its last 10 games and the total has stayed UNDER in five of its last seven contests. It returns home with a record of 19-13-2 on its home ice as part of an overall record of 41-21-2 (84 points). This has the team tied with Pittsburgh for third place in the Metro Division.
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After giving up 12 goals over a three-game span, the Rangers were able to tighten things up on defense against the Bruins with just one goal allowed. Henrik Lundqvist continues to lead the way between the pipes and after getting burnt for four goals in the loss to the Capitals, he turned away 32 of the 33 shots he faced on Thursday night. Oscar Lindberg scored the eventual game winner to give New York a 2-0 lead midway through the third period in that game. New York’s leading goal scorer Michael Grabner (26) missed Thursday’s game with a sore hip and he remains questionable for Saturday’s contest.
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Montreal Canadiens at New York Rangers Game Betting Trends<br />
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The Canadiens are 4-1 in their last five road games, but they have lost four of their last five games played on Saturday. The total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in eight of their last nine games against the Metro Division.
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The Rangers are 5-1 in their last six games against the Atlantic Division and they are 9-1 in their last 10 Saturday games. The total has stayed UNDER in their last five Atlantic Division games.
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Montreal has already won the first two games of the season series and it is 5-1 in its last six games against New York. The total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in nine of the last 10 meetings in New York.
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