The final series of the first round starts tonight north of the border, as the Leafs welcome the Habs to the Air Canada Centre. Although this matchup seems like a mismatch on paper, the league has to be thrilled since these 2 have not met in the playoffs in over 40 years. The two were tantalizingly close to meeting in the finals in 1993, but a certain Wayne Gretzky (helped by a brutal Kerry Fraser missed call) led the Kings on a miracle comeback to beat Toronto. Regardless, the energy and excitement should make up for both teams long layoff. The Leafs are better, particularly offensively, as the dynamic duo of Mitch Marner and Austin Matthews can fill the nets. However, a dominant offense didn’t help Edmonton last night. Montreal doesn’t have the star power, but they have plenty of scoring depth, led by Nick Suzuki and a resurgent Tyler Toffoli. Look for this to be a close one. Carey Price may not be a Vezina candidate anymore, but I sure think he’s much less likely to implode than rookie Jack Campbell. I don’t fully trust the Habs to win outright, but with the puck line the only thing to fear is a late empty netter.
The Pick; Canadiens +1.5 (-150)
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