Face-off: 1900 ET, 09/04/2022
Arena: Scotiabank Arena
Toronto have lost away to Montreal in each of the last two months, so they will be keen to put the record straight now back on home ice.
The Maple Leafs have been much better at Scotiabank Arena than on the road this term and look in good form following a fine 7-1-1 stretch.
With the hosts seeking to prove a point, 4.0 for them to prevail by exactly three goals heads our Toronto Maple Leafs vs Montreal Canadiens predictions.
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Toronto Maple Leafs Odds
Toronto returned from a four-match road trip with seven points after a thrilling overtime triumph in Dallas.
The Stars battled back from behind three times in regulation, but Auston Matthews settled the issue with his second goal of the game in the extra period.
Matthews now has 56 for the season, setting a new record for a USA-born player, eclipsing Rick Vaive from 40 years ago.
However, the 24-year-old was quick to turn his thoughts towards team glory from here on.
He said: “It’s a big honour. This feels really nice, but we’re working towards something bigger than this. It’s a nice stepping-stone, but there’s work to be done.”
Mitch Marner and William Nylander have also been racking up the points recently, without attracting quite the same attention.
This is a focused outfit now chasing a sixth consecutive home victory to help them remain a clear second in the Atlantic Division.
Looking at the NHL odds, we like 10.5 for a 5-2 Toronto triumph.
Montreal Canadiens Odds
Montreal are fighting to avoid the wooden spoon due to a miserable start to their campaign, but have been holding their own since Martin St Louis arrived.
Their record over the past 23 games reads a very respectable 12-7-4 following Thursday’s 7-4 success at New Jersey.
Christian Dvorak, Chris Wideman and Kale Clague each had a goal and two assists on a wild night at Prudential Center.
Rem Pitlick also continued to catch the eye and is proving a shrewd recruit from Minnesota.
“He’s a really smart player,” commented leading points scorer Nick Suzuki. “I think he compliments me and Cole (Caufield) pretty well.
“We’re just kind of getting started, we haven’t had the opportunity to play with each other that much, so we’re just trying to build day by day.”
The stats suggest the second period of this match should be entertaining, as Toronto are 90-76 up in the middle section and Montreal 77-85 down.
Let’s add 2.15 for both teams to score in P2 to our NHL predictions, while it is 8.25 for Toronto to win that stanza 2-1.
Additional stats
Last result:
Dallas 3-4 TORONTO (OT)
New Jersey 4-7 MONTREAL
Season head-to-head: Montreal 4-2 Toronto, Montreal 5-2 Toronto, Toronto 2-1 Montreal
