The Toronto Maple Leafs will be looking to end a four-game slide when they return home to host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday in a pick’em matchup on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto failed to earn a win during a four-game Eastern road trip, capped by Monday’s 5-3 loss in Buffalo as a heavy -176 favourite, and now sits seven points back of the second-place Boston Bruins in the Atlantic Division standings going into Saturday night’s Penguins versus Maple Leafs betting matchup at Air Canada Centre.
The Maple Leafs have received uncharacteristically shaky performances from goaltender Frederik Andersen during their current slide. Andersen has surrendered 10 total goals on just 49 shots over his past two outings, and has been tagged with the loss in three straight starts for the first time since last October.
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The Danish netminder was also rocked in Toronto’s 5-3 loss in Pittsburgh as a +120 wager on Feb. 17, but has earned the win in seven straight starts on home ice.
The Penguins travel to Toronto riding a three-game win streak that has lifted them to the top of the Metropolitan Division standings. After struggling to stay in playoff contention early in the season, Pittsburgh has turned things around, going 20-7-1 in 28 dates since New Year’s Day. That run has breathed life into the Penguins’ Stanley Cup odds, which have rebounded to +850 after sagging to +1800 in late December.
While the memory of their recent loss in Pittsburgh remains fresh, the Maple Leafs have enjoyed regular success against the defending Stanley Cup champions, posting wins in four of six meetings with the Penguins, including two straight home victories.
Earlier on Saturday, the Montreal Canadiens try to halt a three-game slide as they visit the Atlantic-leading Tampa Bay Lightning as +250 underdogs, while the Winnipeg Jets look to win five in a row for the first time this season as they battle the Philadelphia Flyers as a -110 wager. Saturday night’s late game has the Edmonton Oilers hosting the Minnesota Wild as -115 betting favourites.
The Canadiens take an NHL-worst 9-21-3 road record into Amalie Arena after getting blown out 5-0 in Florida as +171 underdogs on Thursday night. Montreal has now tallied just one victory in 12 road dates, and has dropped three of four to the Lightning, including a 4-3 loss as a +153 home underdog on February 24.
The Jets have won four straight overall, and five straight on the road, but are winless in five visits to Philadelphia since 2012.
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