Habs aim for sixth straight win versus playoff-hopeful Rangers

Hockey Betting Lines

03/16/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The streaking Montreal Canadiens will shoot for a sixth straight victory tonight when they visit the New York Rangers in a battle between Original Six clubs at Madison Square Garden.

The Canadiens and Rangers are both fighting for a spot in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Montreal is currently tied with Philadelphia for the sixth spot in the East, while the ninth-seeded Rangers are just one point behind Boston for the conference's eighth and final postseason berth.

Montreal has certainly helped its playoff chances in recent weeks and comes into tonight with its longest winning streak of the year.

The Habs last won five in a row from Oct. 11-20 of last season and they haven't strung together six straight wins since an eight-game stretch from March 23-April 6, 2006.

The Canadiens last played on Saturday when they edged the rival Boston Bruins in Quebec. Sergei Kostitsyn scored a pair of goals and Jaroslav Halak stopped 21 shots, leading Montreal to the 3-2 win at Bell Centre.

Halak posted his 22nd victory of the season and has won each of his last four starts.

"First of all, our guys did a great job in front of me," Halak said. "For two periods, they had virtually no shots at all. It wasn't easy in the last four minutes, but the guys didn't give up many shots."

Andrei Markov netted the other goal for the Canadiens and the veteran defenseman comes into tonight riding a six-game point streak. The Russian has two goals and seven assists during the tear.

The Canadiens' last three victories came on home ice, but Montreal is playing its next two games away from The City of Saints. The Habs, who will visit Toronto on Saturday, are 17-16-2 as the guest this year.

Meanwhile, the Rangers are playing the middle test of a three-game homestand tonight. The Blueshirts began the residency Sunday, edging Philadelphia for their second straight win.

Sean Avery scored a pair of goals to lead New York to the 3-1 decision over its Atlantic Division rivals.

Michal Rozsival notched the other goal, while Erik Christensen and Chris Drury picked up two assists each for the Rangers, who had lost four straight prior to notching back-to-back wins.

Henrik Lundqvist needed to make just 17 stops to win his 28th game of the season.

"It was probably one of our better team games. In the discipline part of it, in the neutral zone, away from the puck as far as taking away from their speed, we played hard," said Rangers head coach John Tortorella. "Everybody pitched in and we found a way to play a pretty hockey game."

New York is just 15-15-6 at Madison Square Garden this year.

Tonight marks the final regular season matchup between the Habs and Rangers. Montreal has taken two of three from the Blueshirts and slammed New York, 6-0, when the clubs last met in Quebec on January 23. The Canadiens have taken five of eight overall in the series, but have dropped two straight and six of their last seven in the Big Apple.

Starluckcaisno Hockey Betting News

<< Thrashers try to end skid in clash with Sabres
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Thrashers could be in much worse shape than they are when it comes to the Eastern Conference playoff race. Still, the club will not be able to improve their postseason chances until they end a lengthy losing strea

<< Nuggets hope to have Karl back vs. Wizards
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Nuggets hope to have head coach George Karl back on the bench tonight when the Western Conference power kicks off a three-game homestand against the woeful Washington Wizards. Karl announced last Friday that

<< Sliding Bulls make a stop in Memphis
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fading Chicago Bulls hope to put the brakes on season- long seven-game skid and improve their standing in the Eastern Conference playoff picture when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday. Chicago's losing

<< Struggling Bruins visit Hurricanes
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins will fight to hold onto their playoff spot when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes tonight at RBC Center. The Bruins are currently eighth in the East with 72 points and are just one point ahead of the New

<< Heat resume homestand vs. Spurs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams battling for playoff positioning get together tonight in south Florida, as the Miami Heat continue a six-game homestand versus the San Antonio Spurs at AmericanAirlines Arena. The Heat have won the first three te

Sens try to regain swagger against Leafs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ottawa Senators have found it hard to recapture their earlier success upon returning from the Olympic break. The playoff hopefuls hope a visit from the Eastern Conference's last-place team will help end those struggles.

Playoff-hopeful Suns welcome Wolves to the desert >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The playoffs are likely a foregone conclusion for the Phoenix Suns, who resume a season-long seven-game homestand tonight against the Western Conference's worst team, the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Suns improved

Lakers eye 50th win in Sacramento >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The reigning NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers shoot for a third straight 50-win season tonight in California's capital against Pacific Division foe Sacramento. The Lakers won their third straight game last night i

Panthers shoot for win against Ovechkin-less Caps >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Washington Capitals have already secured a playoff spot, the Florida Panthers have been making a late push for the postseason with their play as of late. The resurgent Panthers aim for their first victory this se

Coyotes visit Tampa with shot at sixth straight win >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A flurry of recent moves have paid instant dividends for the Phoenix Coyotes, who'll be trying to run their current winning streak to six games in this evening's matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning from the St. Pete Times Fo

MySportsbook.com, Online Sportsbook and Casino, is celebrating our 9th football season online since our launch in 1997. MySportsbook.com has experienced exponential growth, having taken over $8 billion in Sports and Casino Wagers since we opened our doors.

This year we will accept over $3 billion in wagers. Tens of thousands of winning wagers are created daily for the 300,000 people that have joined our website. In August of 2005, MySportsbook.com was acquired by Sportingbet, a UK company which is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange. Combined, MySportsbook.com and Sportingbet easily form the world's largest internet sportsbook company and one of the internet's most profitable companies. The acquisition has provided for added transparency and accountability to MySportsbook.com customers and thus provides more safety and security for our customers. Our business is audited by BDO Stoy Hayward, one of the largest auditing firms in London, and our accounts are published quarterly on the London Exchange. We encourage you to take a look around and truly hope you enjoy your experience.

Through advertising deals with the top handicapping sites in the world, MySportsbook.com reaches a global audience and is one of the most commonly visited gaming spots on the Internet.

MySportsbook.com offers the largest selection of casino games and sporting wagers on the Internet. We believe that an educated player is a more responsible gambler, thus we provide you with all of the latest news and handicapping information. MySportsbook.com is your ultimate destination for gaming information and wagering. You can start by signing up in the Casino or Sportsbook. Once you sign up you can use your same login in either the casino or Sportsbook. So do it now and start winning serious money Today!

If at any time you have a question, we have numerous people waiting to help you, so don't be afraid to call our customer service department. We do not take any telephone wagers but we can certainly answer any questions you may have about our service.

MySportsbook.com is officially licensed in Antigua as a preferred licensee recognized by the Directorate of offshore gaming of Antigua and Barbuda.

What more could you ask for from an Online Sportsbook?