This is an 8* on MONTREAL +1.5

Anything can happen in these best of five qualification series, including this one where Montreal meets Pittsburgh. We’re taking the Habs +1.5 on the puck line, meaning they can either win or lose by one goal and it’s still a winning bet. The one edge Montreal has in this series is in goal. Carey Price is better than whomever Pittsburgh goes with (either Tristan Jarry or Matt Murray). Jarry was having the better season, but Murray was more playoff tested. At the same time, Jarry seemed to be slumping before the season stopped as he was 0-4 and allowed 18 goals. Montreal played Pittsburgh three times this year, beat them once and another time took them to overtime. Also, after the All-Star Break, the Canadiens had the third most scoring chances in the league (per 60 mins) when at even strength. They are more than capable of “stealing” Game 1 on Saturday. 8* on MONTREAL +1.5

AAA