The Toronto Maple Leafs will be looking to clinch their first division title in 21 years when they host the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday in a preview of a potential first-round matchup as minus-200 betting favourites on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Winners in six of the team’s past seven outings, Toronto sits just one point shy of locking up the North Division crown heading into Saturday night’s matchup at Scotiabank Arena.
The Maple Leafs tallied a decisive 5-2 victory over Montreal on Thursday, and have now won three straight home games. Toronto has also racked up a 6-2-1 record in nine meetings with Montreal this season, and has won seven of its past nine home dates with the Canadiens, according to the OddsShark NHL Database.
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Toronto remains firmly positioned among the favourites on the Stanley Cup odds, set as a strong plus-650 wager at betting sites. But despite their continued strong play, the Maple Leafs cannot afford to look past Montreal in their final regular season home contest.
Poised to clinch a playoff spot this weekend, the Canadiens enter Saturday’s matchup as plus170 underdogs. The Canadiens helped their own cause with their recent three-game win streak on home ice, which featured a narrow 3-2 win over Toronto. However, Montreal has struggled on the road, posting wins in just five of 19 dates since mid-February and scoring just nine total goals while losing four of its past five.
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While the Canadiens seek to nail down a post-season berth, the Winnipeg Jets will try to strengthen their grip on third place in the divisional standings as they host the resurgent Ottawa Senators as heavy minus-190 home chalk. The Jets snapped a worrisome seven-game slide with a 4-0 win in Calgary on Wednesday that devastated the Flames’ playoff hopes.
However, the Jets have mustered just one win in their past eight home dates, and could be in for a rough ride against Ottawa, which looks to Saturday as a plus-165 wager. The Senators have salvaged a disappointing campaign with a solid stretch run, posting wins in eight of their past 11 overall while surrendering fewer than two goals per game during that stretch. However, the Senators have posted just two wins in eight dates in Winnipeg since March 2016.
And later on Saturday, the Edmonton Oilers can clinch second place in the North Division standings with a win when they host the freefalling Vancouver Canucks as heavy minus-240 favourites. Edmonton has posted wins in nine of its last 13 outings but on Thursday night dropped a 6-3 decision to the Canucks, who had lost each of their previous six contests.
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