BURNS HOCKEY
UNDER montreal/boston
Game: Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens Game Time: 4/12/2008 7:05:00 PM Prediction: under Reason: I'm playing on Montreal and Boston to finish UNDER the total. The opening game saw the Canadiens jump on Boston goalie Tim Thomas, scoring two quick ones. Boston added one shortly afterwards. Things really settled down after that though as the teams combined for only two more goals over the final 50+ minutes. I highly doubt that we'll see three goals in the opening 10 minutes again this evening and expect things to more closely resemble the second and third periods from Thursday's game. Price should continue to be dominant in goal for the Canadiens and Thomas is much better than he showed in the opener. Depending on when and where one played, that game either resulted in an 'under' or a 'push,' as some books had five while others had 5.5. Even counting it as a 'push,' the Canadiens have seen the UNDER go 3-0-1 their last four games, allowing a mere three goals during that span. Meanwhile, the Bruins have seen the UNDER go 4-0-2 their last six games, with those contests averaging less than four combined goals. For the season, the Bruins have seen the UNDER go 21-8-3 when facing a team with a winning record. They've also seen the UNDER go 4-1-2 the last seven times they played a road game with an over/under line of five or less. Look for another low-scoring affair with the UNDER improving to 19-7-1 when the Bruins have played on a Saturday night.
ANAHEIM
Game: Dallas Stars vs. Anaheim Ducks Game Time: 4/12/2008 10:05:00 PM Prediction: Anaheim Ducks Reason: I'm laying the price with ANAHEIM. I would very rarely lay such a big number in the regular season. However, the playoffs are a different matter and Anaheim is no ordinary team. The Ducks came out flat in their opener. This is a very good team though and I'm willing to cut the defending champs some slack. While this isn't quite a 'must win' game, its very close to one, as no team likes its chances after dropping the first two at home. Playing such a critical game, in front of the home fans, I expect a massive effort here. The Ducks are 6-3 the last nine times they were trailing in a playoff series, going an impressive 67-43 (+11.1) when playing with 'revenge' during that stretch. Look for them to bounce back like champs and improve to 33-17 the last 50 times they played a home game with an over/under line of five or less.