Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Prediction, NHL Odds
The Maple Leafs are undefeated in each of their past seven home openers, a run that includes three victories over Montreal. The Canadiens look to take the next step in their rebuild as the new season gets underway, and will be eager to flip the script after losing seven of their final eight games last season.
The Maple Leafs have emerged as lofty -300 favourites on the Wednesday NHL odds, and sport -120 odds of covering as -1.5 chalk on the puckline. The Canadiens lag as +240 moneyline underdogs, while the total has inched up to 6.5.
Canadiens vs. Maple Leafs NHL Betting Odds
Wednesday night’s matchup marks the first of three schedule regular season meetings between these Original Six rivals. These clubs split four dates last season, with home teams emerging victorious in each of those contests. The Leafs have outgunned the Habs by a wide 12-2 overall margin while claiming victory in each of their past two dates. However, the UNDER still enjoys a solid 13-6 edge in their past 19 matchups. Once again, the Maple Leafs open their campaign among the favourites as a +1000 bet on the Stanley Cup odds, and as +200 chalk to claim the Atlantic Division crown. Conversely, it is expected to be another long season for the Habs, who are pegged as +8000 longshots on the Atlantic Division futures, and a -115 wager to compile under 71.5 points.
Montreal Canadiens
The youthful Canadiens show steady progress as the preseason progressed, wrapping up their schedule with a pair of impressive offensive performances in road wins over Toronto and Ottawa. Nick Suzuki provided the spark with two goals and three assists in this contests, and has enjoyed steady success when facing the Maple Leafs in regular season action, racking up four goals and 12 assists over 18 appearances against Toronto over the past three seasons. The challenge facing the Canadiens now is to maintain that offensive momentum, and bury the memory of their brutal offensive performance down the stretch last season, scoring just 2.13 goals per game during a season-ending 1-7-0 run that featured a crushing 7-1 loss in Toronto. Head coach Marty St. Louis turned some heads by handing Wednesday’s starting assignment to goaltender Jake Allen. The 33-year-old was hampered by injuries last season, and made just eight starts over the final two months of the season, but has guided the Canadiens to victory in four of his past five starts in Toronto.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Leafs open the campaign brimming with optimism despite enduring yet another abbreviated playoff run, followed by massive changes, both on and off the ice. While the arrival of newly minted GM Brad Treliving has brought some calm and stability to the organization in the wake of Kyle Dubas’ surprising departure, clouds remain on the horizon. Most notable are the stalled contract talks between the team and impending UFA William Nylander, who is coming off the best season of his career and will be looking to strengthen his case for a big raise by extending his points streak against Montreal to five games on Wednesday night. The Leafs did manage to get Auston Matthews signed to a lucrative contract extension over the summer. The two-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner has reached the 40-goal plateau in each of the past four seasons, and sports boosted +900 odds to open the scoring on Wednesday night. However, AM34 has managed to score just five times in his past 15 appearances against Montreal.
While the Canadiens can once again be expected to play beyond their abilities as they so often do when battling Toronto, expect the Leafs to enjoy a fast start and cover as 1.5-puck favourites on the puckline.