The Toronto Maple Leafs will have one final chance to establish a new franchise record for regular season points when they close out their schedule on Saturday against the visiting Montreal Canadiens as -223 favourites on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto returns home stalled at 103 points after dropping a 2-1 decision in New Jersey as a +105 bet on Thursday night, but can set a new team record by earning at least one point in Saturday night’s Canadiens versus Maple Leafs betting matchup at the Air Canada Centre.
The Maple Leafs have been held to a single goal on two occasions during this week’s 1-2-0 run, but with a third-place finish in the Atlantic Division standings already assured the club faces no pressure in Saturday’s season finale.
Although Toronto snipers have stumbled at times over the past week they have regularly lit the lamp on home ice, averaging 4.18 goals per game during a 15-2-0 run while scoring five or more goals on seven occasions during that stretch.
That run includes a 4-0 win over Montreal as -210 chalk on March 17, marking the Maple Leafs second straight shutout victory over the Canadiens, and leaving them poised to sweep a season series with Montreal for the first time since 1985.
However, Toronto can’t afford to underestimate the Canadiens’ offense, which has tallied four goals in four of their past six outings, and averaged 3.71 goals per game in seven straight road wins at the ACC prior to this season.
The Canadiens travel to Toronto after posting a 4-3 victory in Detroit as a +130 bet. That Thursday win was Montreal’s second in three road outings, putting an end to a dismal 22-game road stretch that featured just three victories. However, this week’s success also moved the Canadiens ahead of Arizona into 28th place in the overall standings, diminishing their chances of claiming the top pick in the upcoming NHL Draft Lottery.
While Montreal looks towards the offseason following Saturday’s contest, the Maple Leafs could have to wait until Sunday night to learn whether they will face the Boston Bruins or the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of NHL playoff action.
Sitting at +1200 on the 2018 Stanley Cup odds, Toronto has taken seven of its last eight from the Bruins, capped by a 4-3 victory as a +106 home underdog on February 24, but has gone 1-3-1 in its last five clashes with the Lightning, and has recorded consecutive wins just once in its last 19 meetings with Tampa Bay.
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