Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Vegas Play of the Day: Canadiens at Penguins

Carey Price

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price deflects a shot during an NHL hockey game against the Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday, Dec. 28, 2013, in Tampa, Fla.

Hockey is the lone sport where the Sun’s Vegas Play of the Day is undefeated.

It’s only 1-0, but, hey, we’re celebrating what we can after a Yukon-cold start where the three contestants using the South Point’s odds daily to offer a pick are down a combined $1,955. Canada’s national pastime just might be the instrument to thaw us out into the black.

Montreal Canadiens vs. Pittsburgh Penguins under 5.5 goals: $467.50 to win $425

Montreal’s Carey Price and Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury are capable of performing like two of the best goalies in the league. Playing behind strong defenses certainly helps.

The Penguins and Canadiens have both given up 120 goals on the season, tied for fourth fewest in the NHL. That’s despite some porous play in the past three weeks.

Since the calendar flipped to 2014, Montreal has surrendered 3.76 goals per game to Pittsburgh’s 3.43. Ten of the teams’ combined 14 games have gone over the total with one push.

The scoring scuttle has forced oddsmakers to adjust, but maybe too quickly. Both teams are bound to revert to the way they were through the first 42 games of the season, where they averaged well less than 2.5 goals against per game.

The total was five when the Canadiens and Penguins played once previously this season with three goals in the final five minutes making the score 3-2 Montreal for a push.

High-level hockey will prevail tonight at the Consol Energy Center, where a physical contest will put points at a premium.

Standings: Bern (2-3, $9,500), Keefer (2-3, $9,475), Brewer (1-3-1, $9,070)

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.

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