Maple Leafs vs Canadiens Prediction NHL Picks 3/9/24
The Toronto Maple Leafs will play the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. Toronto has lost two of their last three games, while Montreal has lost three of their last four. Let’s take a look at the betting matchup and the Maple Leafs vs Canadiens prediction.
Maple Leafs Preview
The Toronto Maple Leafs are 36-19-8 this year after they lost to Boston by a score of 4-1 in their last game. Toronto cut the deficit to 2-1 in the second period, but couldn’t find any more offense in the loss. The Maple Leafs out shot Boston by a total of 29-25 and went 1-4 on the power play in the game. Toronto defeated Buffalo by a score of 2-1 in the game prior to Boston, but did lose to Boston at home before that. The Maple Leafs are scoring 3.54 goals per game and they are allowing 3.14 goals against per game, while going 27.5% on the power play and 77.5% on the penalty kill. William Nylander has led Toronto with 34 goals, 50 assists, and 253 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for Toronto is Ilya Samsonov, who is 16-5-6 this season with a 3.14 goals against average and a .885 save percentage.
Canadiens Preview
The Montreal Canadiens are 24-29-10 this season after they lost to Carolina by a score of 4-1 in their last game. Montreal led 1-0 early in the first period, but they allowed the last four goals in the game for the loss. The Canadiens were out shot by a total of 39-25 and went 0-5 on the power play in the game. Montreal defeated Nashville by a score of 4-3 in the game prior to Carolina, but lost to Tampa Bay and Florida before that. The Canadiens are scoring 2.76 goals per game and they are allowing 3.49 goals against per game, while going 18.6% on the power play and 74.9% on the penalty kill. Nick Suzuki has led Montreal with 25 goals, 36 assists, and 148 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for Montreal is Sam Montembeault, who is 13-11-5 this year with a 3.14 goals against average and a .905 save percentage.
Montreal Canadiens Player Prop Facts
- Cole Caufield has scored at least one goal in each of his last five appearances against the Maple Leafs.
- Nick Suzuki has recorded at least one assist in seven of the Canadiens' last eight games against the Maple Leafs.
- Kirby Dach has recorded at least one point in each of his last six appearances with the Canadiens as home underdogs.
- Cole Caufield ranks 1st in the league for shootout goals (5) this season.
Toronto Maple Leafs Player Prop Facts
- William Nylander has scored at least one goal in eight of the Maple Leafs' last 10 games as favorites.
- Morgan Rielly has recorded an assist in each of the Maple Leafs' last seven games as favorites against Atlantic Division opponents.
- Morgan Rielly has recorded a point in each of the Maple Leafs' last seven games as favorites against Atlantic Division opponents.
- Auston Matthews ranks 1st in the league for Goals (54) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Montreal Canadiens rank 28th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (74.88%).
- The Montreal Canadiens rank 27th in the league for goals per game this season (2.76).
- The Toronto Maple Leafs rank 2nd in the league in power play percentage this season (27.53%).
- The Toronto Maple Leafs rank 3rd in the league for goals per game this season (3.54).
Maple Leafs vs Canadiens Betting Prediction
Both of these teams come into this matchup struggling in recent games, but Montreal will have the home ice advantage in this game. The Canadiens are only 12-16-3 at home, while Toronto is 18-7-6 on the road. The Maple Leafs do have two recent losses against Boston by scores of 4-1 in their last three games, but they have won 10 of their last 11 games against teams not named Boston. The Maple Leafs have been rolling over the last three weeks and I think they are going to have a big night against a bad Montreal defense. Take the Leafs -1.5 here.
