The Toronto Maple Leafs will be looking to rebound from their first defeat of the new NHL season when they host the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night as heavy -235 favourites on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto opened its road schedule with a 3-2 loss in Ottawa on Thursday night, but has tallied wins in seven of its last nine home meetings with its Battle of Ontario rival going into Saturday night’s matchup at the Air Canada Centre.
The Maple Leafs did little to ease the concerns of fans still feeling the sting of last season’s early playoff exit in Thursday’s loss. The team spotted the Senators a 3-0 first-period lead, and needed a pair of third-period power-play goals to keep it close despite outshooting Ottawa by a wide 48-36 margin.
In addition to potting just one even-strength goal through its first two games, Toronto is also dealing with injury woes. Auston Matthews remains sidelined as he recovers from a wrist injury, and the status of recently acquired goaltender Petr Mrazek also remains uncertain after he reportedly suffered a groin injury on Thursday.
The Senators, meanwhile, aim to build on Thursday’s season-opening victory when they hit the ice on Saturday as +185 underdogs at online sports betting sites. Much of the credit for Thursday’s win goes to goaltender Anton Forsberg, who turned aside 46 shots and stood tall in the face of a 25-shot barrage in the third period. Forsberg is likely to see action again for the Senators on Saturday night with Matt Murray on injured reserve.
Overall, the Senators have shown steady improvement since late last season, which they closed out with wins in 10 of their final 14 games.
Elsewhere on the NHL odds for Saturday, the Montreal Canadiens look to rebound from a 5-1 loss in Buffalo on Thursday when they take on the New York Rangers in their home opener as -115 chalk. Like the Maple Leafs, the Canadiens have opened the season with three games in four nights, a run that began with Wednesday’s narrow 2-1 loss in Toronto. Listed as -105 underdogs, the Rangers hobble into Montreal after opening their schedule with back-to-back losses to Washington and Dallas, but have won two straight games at the Bell Centre.
Later on Saturday, the Battle of Alberta will be rekindled as the Calgary Flames open their season against Edmonton as +120 road underdogs, while the Winnipeg Jets visit San Jose as -125 betting favourites. The Flames averaged fewer than two goals per game while losing four of five games in Edmonton last season, while the Oilers return to action after opening their schedule with a 3-2 win over Vancouver on Wednesday night.
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