Montreal Canadiens v New Jersey Devils Live

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Being just fourth in the Northeast division after four months of play, the Canadiens are certainly hoping for things to turn around in the second half of the season. About to face another difficult challenge, the Habs will make their way to New Jersey to face Zach Parise and the Devils on Saturday at midnight GMT.

Unlike Montreal, the Devils are very content with their performance thus far as they lead the Atlantic division with a 32-14-1 record. That said, New Jersey evidently hit a slump when they lost three straight versus the Coyotes, Avalanche and Islanders last week. Most importantly, Jamie Langenbrunner and company will have to find the net more consistently as they combined for just four goals in said three losses. Obviously, the Devils’ defense is among the best in the league, yet New Jersey’s offensive lines might have to elevate their level of play in order to become a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

The Canadiens on the other hand did not play particularly well at either end of the ice, but still managed to hang around in the playoff race. Being just two points out of the eight playoff spot, the Habs still have plenty of time to make a run to the post-season. However, the team around Brian Gionta had its fair share of problems in the past weeks and lost five of their last seven. One key issue will be whether Montreal will be able to become a better home-team as they are holding on to a disappointing 11-11-3 record at Centre Bell. Offensively, center Tomas Plekanec played surprisingly well as he scored 11 goals and added 37 assists for a total of 48 points in 50 appearances. Nonetheless, the Habs will enter their encounter with the Devils as underdogs on Saturday night. Albeit New Jersey might not be one of the most dynamic teams offensively, they are still playing on a considerably higher level than Montreal. Especially their lockdown defense around All-Star goalie Martin Brodeur is bound to be a tough obstacle for the Canadiens.

You can watch all games of the New Jersey Devils and Montreal Canadiens right here on www.watchlivenhl.com, the home of NHL live streaming.

Posted: 17th December 2009

Even though the Devils did not get off to a particularly good start into the 2009-10 season, Martin Brodeur and company steadily improved and made it all the way to second place in the Eastern Conference. Hoping to secure another win, New Jersey will take on the Montreal Canadiens at Prudential Center on Thursday at midnight GMT.

Unlike the Devils, the Canadiens are not overly excited with their performance in this year’s NHL campaign thus far. Barely holding on to the eight playoff seed in the East, the Habs posted a mediocre 15-15-3 record. After losing two straight versus the Penguins and Trashers last week, Montreal is under significant pressure to get back on track to avoid falling behind in the playoff race. Offensively, Tomas Plekanec led all scores with 6 goals and 26 assists for a total 32 points in 33 games.

In contrast, the New Jersey Devils have very little to complain about and are just one point behind the leading Washington Capitals ten weeks into the season. Most importantly, the Devils were able to bring the same efficient defensive effort night and night out to contain opposing offensive lines. Allowing just 2.2 goals per contest, New Jersey turned out to be second best defensive team in the league and was able to take considerable pressure off their offense to win games. Taking everything into consideration, the Devils enter their encounter with the Habs as undisputed favorites to come away with a win. After all, Montreal has not been exceptionally consistent at either end of the ice and might have a hard time scoring versus the defensive minded Devils.

You can watch all games of the Montreal Canadiens and New Jersey Devils right here on www.watchlivenhl.com, the home of NHL live streaming.