NHL Matchup - November 23, 2007

The Buffalo Sabres will try to even their season series with the Montreal Canadiens when the teams meet in a Northeast Division clash Friday at the HSBC Arena.

Tonight’s game is the first game of a home-and-home series, with the teams meeting again Saturday in Montreal.

Buffalo dropped the first two games of the eight the teams will play against each other this season before beating Montreal 4-1 at home last Friday. Montreal has the edge over the past 10 head-to-head, going 6-3-0-1 SU.

In their last games on Wednesday, Montreal beat the New York Islanders 4-1 on Long Island, and Buffalo doubled the Ottawa Senators 4-2 at home. 
    
Buffalo is 2-5 SU in its past seven games against Montreal but 12-4 SU in its past 16 at home against Montreal.

There is a significant Under trend: The total has gone Under in six of Montreal's past nine games, Under in four of Montreal's past five on the road, Under in seven of Montreal's past 10 on the road against Buffalo, Under in six of Buffalo's past seven, and Under in four of Buffalo's past six at home.

According to the Montreal Gazette, the Canadiens will start goalie Carey Price, who’s won his past three games, while the Sabres will go with Ryan Miller.

Betting Line: Buffalo is a 130-moneyline favorite at BetUS. The over/under is 5½.

Saturday, Nov. 24, 2007

The Toronto Maple Leafs continue their Western road swing Saturday night with their first game against the Phoenix Coyotes in nearly two years.

The Maple Leafs and Coyotes haven’t met since Jan. 14, 2006, when Phoenix picked up a 4-3 win at the Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs haven’t been in Phoenix since Oct. 23, 2003, a 5-4 Maple Leafs’ victory. Toronto is 7-3-0-0 over the past 10 meetings with the Coyotes, going back to 1997.

In their last games, Toronto (8-9-5) faced the Dallas Stars Friday night, and Phoenix (9-10-0) beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 at home on Wednesday.

The Maple Leafs’ Chad Kilger is listed as day-to-day with a leg injury.

Toronto-Phoenix matchups have a history of being high-scoring affairs, with eight of the past 10 meetings going Over the over/under total. In the past four games between the teams, the combined score has been no lower than seven goals, and two games have had a total of nine goals.

The Maple Leafs are expected to go with Andrew Raycroft in net, as Vesa Toskala was slated to start Friday against Dallas. The Coyotes will likely start Ilya Bryzgalov, who was recently acquired from the Anaheim Ducks.

Betting Line: This game is a pick’em (-110) at BookMaker. The over/under is 5½.