Montreal Canadiens take on the regressing Florida Panthers – NHL Preview
The Montreal Canadiens are officially eliminated from the playoff contention in the current National Hockey League (NHL) season, but they are still up for staging upsets.
As for Florida Panthers, they have a strong chance of qualifying for the playoffs, but their recent form is a cause of concern for them.
Both teams are going to face each other on Tuesday, March 27, 2012, at Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Let’s have a look at both teams.
Canadiens
They are ranked at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with 71 points after 76 games and are the only team from the conference to have been officially eliminated from the playoff contention.
They have lost four of their last five games with the recent defeat coming against Philadelphia Flyers.
Flyers got goal in the first period and Canadiens replied in the second. However, Flyers scored two more goals in the same period and added another in the final to win the game, 4-1.
Canadiens’ centre, Ryan White, said after the game:
"It's tough. We're the guys in here that are frustrated with it. Obviously, you want to make the playoffs and have a chance to win the Cup, and the worst thing about it is we don't have a chance to win the Cup this year. So, it's frustrating for sure.”
He added:
"We're going to have to come back with a chip on our shoulder for sure next year. It's frustrating, we got behind at the start of the season, and it's tough climbing an uphill battle. We just didn't do a good enough job again."
Panthers
They are leading the Southeast Division and are ranked at third spot in the Eastern Conference with 87 points after 75 games.
They are presently on a three-game losing streak with the defeats coming against Carolina Hurricanes (3-1), Edmonton Oilers (2-1 after shootout) and New York Islanders (3-2 after shootout).
Before losing three games in a row, Panther had won five straight. They have got a good opportunity to get back to winning ways, but they should score more goals and concede less.
Predictions
Panthers have a very slight edge.
The sum of goals scored by both teams might stay under six.
If Canadiens win, the winning margin will be less than two goals.
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