The Pittsburgh Penguins will head to Canada to face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday at the Scotiabank Arena. It's time for a rowdy home opener as we share our NHL odds series and make a Penguins-Maple Leafs prediction and pick.

The Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings 6-3 on Thursday at Little Caesars Arena. Amazingly, they got two helpers each from Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. A strong second period helped the Penguins establish the edge and finish the Wings off.

The Maple Leafs defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Thursday at the Prudential Center. Remarkably, the Leafs bounced back with three goals in the first period after not scoring a single score against the Montreal Canadiens the night before.

Here are the Penguins-Maple Leafs NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NHL Odds: Penguins-Maple Leafs Odds

Pittsburgh Penguins: +1.5 (-160)

Moneyline: +155

Toronto Maple Leafs: -1.5 (+132)

Moneyline: -188

Over: 6.5 (-118)

Under: 6.5 (-104)

How To Watch Penguins vs Maple Leafs 

Time: 7 PM ET/4 PM PT

TV: NHL Network and SportsNet Pittsburgh

Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)

Why the Penguins Could Cover the Spread/Win

  • The Penguins are 3-1-1 over the past five games against the Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.
  • Sidney Crosby has 29 goals and 39 assists over 53 games against the Maple Leafs.
  • Evgeni Malkin has 24 goals and 45 assists over 46 games against the Maple Leafs.
  • The Penguins are 3-2 against the spread over the past five games at Scotiabank Arena.
  • Tristan Jarry is 5-3 with a 2.86 goals-against average and a save percentage of .909 against the Maple Leafs.

Malkin made history against Detroit and joined Crosby, becoming the third active center to get to 800 assists. Overall, the veteran continues to make plays and now has two assists. Crosby also did well after coming up short against the New York Rangers the previous night. Significantly, he has notched two assists. Defenseman Erik Karlsson has tallied one goal and one assist, while Marcus Pettersson has scored one goal and one assist.

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Tristan Jarry struggled in the opener, allowing six goals and completely looking lost out there. However, he is the starting goalie and will get the chance to fix the issue against an equally dangerous offense.

The Penguins will cover the spread if Crosby, Malkin, and the rest of the scorers can produce some momentum and set up scoring chances. Then, they must defend the net better.

Why the Maple Leafs Could Cover the Spread/Win

  • The Maple Leafs are 6-4 over the past 10 games against the Penguins
  • The Maple Leafs have averaged four games per game over the past three contests over the Penguins.
  • The Maple Leafs have averaged 4.2 goals per game over the past five contests against the Penguins.
  • Mitchell Marner has tallied four goals and 16 assists over 20 games against the Penguins.
  • Austin Matthews has netted six goals, nine assists along with a plus-minus of +7 over 18 games in his career against the Penguins.
Mitchell Marner has not scored yet. However, this may be the game where he breaks out. Austin Matthews has also struggled, not notching a point. Regardless, he is still the best player on this offense and may find ways to score in this one. The Leafs hope John Tavares can find the back of the net. Significantly, he has tallied a goal on six shots through two games. William Nylander has also been missing over the past two games. Yet, he is also expected to make an impact in this game.

Anthony Stolarz is the starting goalie until John Woll returns. So far, he has made 26 saves and allowed one goal, but he will need some goal-scoring after getting none against the Habs. The defense must clean shots in front of him.

The Maple Leafs will cover the spread if their core four can break free and produce some goals. Then, they must defend in front of the net.

Final Penguins-Maple Leafs Prediction & Pick

The Penguins are 1-1 against the spread, including 1-0 on the road. Meanwhile, the Leafs are 1-1 against the spread, with both games happening on the road.

The Penguins dominated the Wings because they shot the puck efficiently and won 54 percent of their faceoffs. Additionally, they went 1 for 2 on the powerplay and killed four. The Pens also blocked 16 shots. The Leafs did not need many shots to beat New Jersey. Instead, they relied on well-timed chances. But they were also in the penalty box too often, having to kill five New Jersey penalties. Also, they won just 48 percent of the faceoffs after dominating the faceoff circle (67 percent) the night before against the Habs. The Maple Leafs did a great job on defense, blocking 27 shots, which is something to consider. But their inability to gain control of the puck might come into play. Because of this, I expect the Penguins to capitalize on this and find a way to stay in the game and cover the spread.

Final Penguins-Maple Leafs Prediction & Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins +1.5 (-160)