The lowly Ottawa Senators and elite Toronto Maple Leafs are clearly at polar opposite ends of the NHL spectrum. Ottawa has the worst record in the NHL right now while Toronto is undeniably one of the top contenders to represent the Eastern Conference in this season’s Stanley Cup finals.
With the Sens struggling mightily and the Leafs looking to put the pedal to the metal as the 2018-19 season steamrolls further into the second half, let’s find out if Ottawa is going to show up with an effort worthy of keeping pace with the explosive Leafs.
Senators vs Maple Leafs NHL Lines & Betting Prediction
Head Coach Guy Boucher provides an update for tonight’s line-up as the #Sens get set to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. pic.twitter.com/z4j5ZOsCdc
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) 6 de febrero de 2019
- When: Wednesday, February 6, 2019 at 7:30 PM ET
- Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON, CA
- TV: RSN / R360
- Radio: Ottawa / Toronto
- Live Stream: NHL.tv
- NHL Odds: Ottawa +250/ Toronto -312 / Total: 6.5
Why Bet On Ottawa at +250?
Why should you consider betting on the Ottawa Senators in this contest? Well, the only decent reasons would be because, as elite as they are, Toronto has struggled a bit at home this season. Well, there’s another decent reasons to back the Senators and it’s because they are completely and utterly desperate after losing four straight coming into this affair including a humbling 2-0 shutout loss against Detroit on Saturday.
“It’s been a frustrating year,” forward Zack Smith told reporters recently. “They talked about rebuilding right from the start, but we wanted to be in the mix at this time of the year, and we’re quite a ways out. It’s tough.”
The Sens gave up a pair of first period goals just 39 second apart to take the loss. Ottawa averages a respectable 3.1 goals per game (12th) but gives up a whopping 3.7 goals per contest defensively to rank a dismal 31st in goals allowed.
Team Statistics
Offense- Goals: 3.06
- Shots: 29.35
- PP/PK Percentage: 21.09
- Goals: 3.73
- Shots: 36.42
- PP/PK Percentage: 23.57
Why Bet On Toronto at -312?
Why should you consider betting on the Toronto Maple Leafs in this contest? Well, there are a bunch of reason and probably too many to list actually. First, the Leafs are playing at home where they’d like to improve on their modest 16-11-1 record so far. Not only that, but Ottawa has been awful on the road this season in going 7-17-1 in 25 road games so far this season.
Then, there’s the fact that Toronto is playing well right now, having won two straight including their emphatic 6-1 beatdown of Anaheim on Monday that was predicted in the NHL news section.
John Tavares, Andreas Johnsson and Jake Muzzin all lit the lamp in the second period to vie Toronto a commanding 3-0 lead they would never relinquish. More importantly, the Maple Leafs just made big news by re-signing 21-year-old star forward Auston Matthews to a five-year, $58.17 million contract extension on Tuesday. The three-time All-Star has 23 goals and 23 assists this season.
“Everything came together, and for me I guess you could always wait but I had no problem signing during the season,” Matthews told reporters. “Obviously I’m very proud to be a Maple Leaf today and for the foreseeable future.”
The Maple Leafs rank a stellar fourth in scoring (3.6 gpg) and eighth in goals allowed (2.8 gpg). Toronto will now turn its attention to locking up 21-year-old forward and leading scorer Mitch Marner before he becomes a restricted free agent on July 1.
Team Statistics
Offense- Goals: 3.56
- Shots: 31.44
- PP/PK Percentage: 21.21
- Goals: 2.81
- Shots: 32.40
- PP/PK Percentage: 19.55
Senators vs Maple Leafs NHL Betting Trends
- Ottawa is 8-4 ATS in the last 12 games
- Ottawa is 1-4 SU in the last 5 games
- The total went UNDER in 4 of Ottawa’s last 5 games
- Toronto is 2-4 ATS in the last 6 games
- Toronto is 3-10 SU in the last 13 games when playing Ottawa
- The total went UNDER in 8 of Toronto’s last 12 games
Expert Analysis and Prediction for Senators vs Maple Leafs
My best advice for this contest NHL betting faithful is for you to make the ‘super-simple’ pick on Toronto to completely blow the Senators out of the water in this affair. Ottawa has gone a nearly winless 1-9 in their last 10 games against their Eastern Conference counterparts and an awful 15-46 in their last 61 road games.
Conversely, Toronto has gone a blistering 44-19 in their last 63 games as a favorite, 34-15 in their last 49 home games and 9-4 in their last 13 games against their Eastern Conference counterparts. While Ottawa has gone 10-3 in the last 13 meetings and 6-1 in their last seven road dates against the Leafs, I say, there is absolutely no way Ottawa wins this one or covers the Puck Line!
NHL Betting Pick: Toronto 7 Ottawa 1
