Let’s start this NHL series preview off with some sports betting odds for these two teams. The Penguins are at the top of the Stanley Cup odds list as 14 to 5 favorites to repeat as champions, while the Canadiens are at the bottom of the list for teams still in the playoffs with 15 to 1 odds at winning the Cup.

In the Eastern Conference quarter-finals the Canadiens exploited the Washington Capitals’ one weakness; the Caps do not play as a team. The Canadiens were able to remain a rock solid unit as the Caps’ superstars buzzed around them. But the Penguins play as a solid team as well. Pittsburgh is all about shots on goal and bringing offense to the opposing team’s goaltender. The Penguins goaltending has been inconsistent in these playoffs with Marc-Andre Fleury, but to this point that has not been a major problem.

The Canadiens are riding the back of goaltender Jaroslav Halak, who held the Capitals to only two goals in the last three games of their first round series. Halak is an acrobatic goaltender that can be caught out of position sometimes, but he has the ability to recover.

In this series the Penguins will test the patience of Halak, and see if he is able to maintain his position in goal even with activity going on around him. They will pass the puck more than Halak ever saw in the Washington series, and they will shoot just as much.

The Canadiens will be relentless in their attack on Pittsburgh. They will make the Penguins pay for every battle in the corners, and when the Canadiens see an opening to get out of their zone they will take it. If Fleury is shaky in this series, then that could spell trouble for the Penguins.

Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins in 6