Best Bet - 1st December
Best Bet 
/ Andy Morris / 01 December 2009 / Leave a comment Bet Now
For the best bet of the week, take Montreal to beat Toronto in the NHL, writes Andy Morris.
Toronto regards itself as Hockey Town. But even within Canada, they are increasingly being seen as irrelevant as their last Stanley Cup triumph in 1967 recedes into the distance.
Instead it is their great rivals, Montreal, who are claiming ascendancy (and were named as "Canada's team" by one-third in a recent poll, as against a quarter for the Maple Leafs) and for the third time this season they can prevail in this epic encounter.
Both times so far, they have needed overtime to beat the Maple Leafs, but Toronto is mired in a terrible slump while the Habs have won twice as many games as them.
Every time the Maple Leafs show any sign of pulling their season round, the green shoots of recovery are immediately trampled underfoot. As was the case when, having scored six goals to beat Florida on Friday, they were then shut out on Monday at home in a 3-0 defeat to the Sabres.
Montreal are in celebration mood, as they celebrate their 100th anniversary on Friday and they will not want their rivals to put a black mark on their week.
They go into this one on the back of a recent mini-slump, which has seen them only win one of their last four games. And they are annoyed at having lost in a shootout against the Capitals on Saturday, when they had led 3-2 with less than a minute left on the clock.
Montreal have some in-form players, none more so than Travis Moen who has never been a regular goalscorer but has six so far this season, more than half his previous best total. Tomas Plekanec has two goals and eight points in his last six games, and has recorded four assists against the Maple Leafs in the two meetings so far.
Having home advantage will weigh heavily in Montreal's favour in this one, and they tend to be a team that closes out games well. They are one of nine teams this season who are unbeaten when leading after two periods.
Toronto have had major problems so far with their goalies, and indeed their defence generally, and I don't expect them to suddenly solve those problems against the expectant Canadiens.
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