Saturday Senators vs. Maple Leafs Odds, Preview, Prediction: Take Toronto to Bounce Back
Chris Tanouye/Getty Images. Pictured: Jason Spezza and William Nylander.
- The Maple Leafs and Senators meet for the second time this season on Saturday, this time at Scotiabank Arena.
- Toronto is playing its third game in four nights, most recently losing to Ottawa on Thursday.
- Pat Pickens breaks down the game and gives his favorite bet below.
Senators at Maple Leafs Odds
| Senators Odds | +180 |
| Maple Leafs Odds | -220 |
| Over/Under | 6 |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds here. | |
The Senators and Maple Leafs will square off on the back end of a home-and-home series. Ottawa built a three-goal, first-period lead and hung on for a 3-2 victory against Toronto in its season opener at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday.
The Maple Leafs fell to 1-1 on the young season and will be playing their second home game — and the third game in four nights.
Senators Still Missing Top Scorer
Ottawa was boosted in its season opener by the return of fans for the first home game since March 5, 2020. However, the Senators will take to the road for a game featuring rival rooters for the first time since they played in Los Angeles on March 11, 2020.
The Senators will still likely be without 2020-21 leading scorer Brady Tkachuk, who is still getting into game shape after signing a seven-year contract and rejoining the team before its opening game Thursday.
Maple Leafs Play Third Game in Four Nights
Toronto was buoyed by having fans back at Scotiabank Arena in its season opener against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday but felt the after-effects with their sluggish start in their second game in as many nights. The Maple Leafs rallied to make things interesting in the third period Thursday, scoring twice and firing 25 third-period shots at Anton Forsberg, but he held the fort, stopping an eye-popping 20 high-danger shots in the win.
Toronto also lost goalie Petr Mrazek to a groin injury on Thursday, meaning Jack Campbell will play in his third straight game and make his second start. Campbell is fourth in the NHL in five-on-five, high-danger saves (10) and boasts a .917 high-danger save percentage through three games.
Senators vs. Maple Leafs Pick
Suffice it to say, I don't believe Toronto will start slowly facing one of its biggest rivals in front of the rabid home fans at Scotiabank Arena. I also don't think Forsberg will be able to withstand another barrage of chances like the Maple Leafs threw at him on Thursday.
Plus, without the lift from the home crowd in Kanata and minus Tkachuk for the second straight game, Ottawa will probably have a hard time scoring against Campbell — the Maple Leafs starting goalie who stopped all 10 shots he faced.
Pick: Toronto -1.5 (+115)
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