It is a battle of Canadian teams as the Ottawa Senators visit the Toronto Maple Leafs. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Senators-Maple Leafs prediction and pick.
The Senators come into the game sitting at 7-7-0 on the year and are coming off a game in Boston. Linus Ullmark returned to Boston for the first game against his old team. The Senators took the 1-0 lead, but the Bruins would take the 2-1 lead just over five minutes into the second period. Still, Michael Amadio would tie the game up. This would result in the game going into overtime where Brady Tkachuk won the game for the Senators.
Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs come into the game sitting at 9-5-2 on the year. They have won three straight games. Last time out, they faced the Montreal Canadiens. The Maple Leafs took the 1-0 lead in the first period and would add three more goals in the second period, one their way to a 4-1 victory.
Here are the Senators-Maple Leafs NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Senators-Maple Leafs Odds
Ottawa Senators: +1.5 (-220)
Moneyline: +116
Toronto Maple Leafs: -1.5 (+176)
Moneyline: -138
Over: 5.5 (-134)
Under: 5.5 (+110)
How To Watch Senators vs Maple Leafs
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
TV:
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why the Senators Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Ottawa Senators are returning their top line from last year. Tim Stutzle leads the top line. Stutzle was second on the team while leading the team in assists. Stutzle had 18 goals and 52 assists last year, for a total of 70 points. He has six goals and 13 assists on the year already. He is joined on the top line by Drake Batherson and Claude Giroux. Batherson comes into the game with six goals and eight assists on the year, with three goals and three assists on the power play. Finally, Claude Griouz has five goals and six assists this year, with a goal and three assists on the power play.
Meanwhile, Brady Tkachuk leads the second line with Josh Norris. Tkachuk has eight goals and ten assists this year, with four goals and three assists on the power play. Meanwhile, Norris has five goals and six assists this year, with a goal and three assists on the power play. Rounding out the most productive players is Jake Sanderson from the blue line. He has a goal and eight assists this year.
Linus Ullmark is expected to be in goal for the Senators in this one. Ullmark is just 3-4-0 on the year with a 2.87 goals-against average and a .890 save percentage. Last time out, Ullmark stopped 14 of 16 shots in a win over the Bruins. He has not been great in the last three games, being below .890 in save percentage in each of the last three games, all on the road.
Why the Maple Leafs Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Maple Leafs are dealing with plenty of injuries, with both Auston Matthews and Max Pacioretty dealing with injuries. The top line is now led by Max Domi, Matthew Kines, and Mitch Marner. Domi has been solid this year, with six assists on the season. Meanwhile, Kines had 15 goals and 20 assists last year. He currently has seven goals and three assists for the year. Finally, Marner was third on the team in points last year. He had 26 goals and 59 assists last year. This year he has had two goals and 14 assists.
Meanwhile, the second line is led by William Nylander. He leads the team with 11 goals while having seven assists, good for second on the team with 18 points. He also has four goals and four assists on the power play. He is joined by John Tavares. Tavares has eight goals and six assists this year, with three goals on the power play. Finally, Morgan Rielly has been solid from the blue line, with four goals and eight assists this year. He also has a goal and five assists on the power play.
Anthony Stolarz is expected to be in net for the Maple Leafs in this one. He is 6-2-2 on the year with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage. He is fourth in the NHL in goals-against average and third in save percentage. He stopped 21 of 22 shots last time out.
Final Senators-Maple Leafs Prediction & Pick
The Senators are scoring 3.43 goals per game this year, while also being great on the power play, sitting fourth on the power play this year. The Maple Leafs are scoring just 3.13 goals per game this year, but the defense has been great. They are fifth in the NHL allowing just 2.56 goals per game this year. This is why the Maple Leafs are the favorite in terms of odds in this early-season NHL game. Still, while the Senators are scoring well, the best play in this one is on the total. Take the under.
Final Senators-Maple Leafs Prediction & Pick: Under 5.5 (+110)