8:07 pm
August 1

Canadiens v. Penguins

Who will WIN this matchup?

Montreal Canadiens (31-40-9)

Pittsburgh Penguins (40-29-6)

 

Starting Goalies:

Carey Price (MON):  Unconfirmed

Matt Murray (PIT): Confirmed

 

Current odds:

Montreal Canadiens: (+140)

Pittsburgh Penguins: (-160)

 

• Pittsburgh and Montreal are playing in a safety “bubble” in Toronto with the rest of the Eastern Conference teams this postseason because of the COVID-19 pandemic that cut the regular season short in mid-March. For the restart, under the expanded playoff format, the Penguins are keeping the choice of their starter in net on Saturday — Matt Murray or Tristan Jarry — a tightly held secret.

• The Canadiens, meanwhile, have no doubt they will go with Carey Price, considered one of the top goalies in the league and Montreal’s best player.

• Murray, 26, helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup in 2016 and ’17, both times technically as a rookie, and Pittsburgh chose to retain him over veteran and long-time franchise goalie Marc-Andre Fleury when it came to the Vegas expansion draft. However, Murray has seen his game dip at times since then. He has lost eight of his past nine playoff starts, including last year’s sweep by the New York Islanders in the first round.  This season, he nearly split games with Jarry (38 games to Jarry’s 33), and Jarry, 25, not only seemed to move ahead of Murray but was named to the All-Star game. Jarry, though, has no NHL playoff experience.

• Among the skaters, Pittsburgh would seem to have a noticeable edge, including top centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Those two have led the Penguins to three Stanley Cups, and one of them was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy winner each time.

• Montreal’s top line doesn’t have that kind of star power, with Tomas Tatar, Phillip Danault and Brendan Gallagher, and there is a drop-off after that. The Canadiens will have feisty center Max Domi available. He has opted to play despite having diabetes, which is considered an added risk factor for anyone who might contract COVID-19.

5/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Pittsburgh Penguins
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