The Toronto Maple Leafs will be looking to extend their current home winning streak to a franchise-record 13 games on Saturday when they take on the struggling Detroit Red Wings as -245 favourites on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto returns home fresh off Thursday’s decisive 5-2 victory over the league-leading Nashville Predators as a +141 underdog, and is poised to equal two additional franchise records with a victory in Saturday night’s Red Wings versus Maple Leafs betting matchup at the Air Canada Centre.
The Maple Leafs sit just one victory shy of their all-time records for most overall wins and home wins in a season as they enter an eight-game stretch run that features six contests on home ice, and four clashes with opponents already eliminated from post-season contention.
Despite that enviable position, the Maple Leafs continue to lag behind the favourites on the Stanley Cup odds at +1400, just ahead of the +1600 odds they sported on opening night. However, Toronto has enjoyed considerable success against the Red Wings, picking up the win in six of seven meetings, capped by a 3-2 victory as -133 road chalk on Feb. 18.
That defeat marked the start of a dismal slide that quickly snuffed out Detroit’s already slim playoff hopes. The Red Wings have lost nine straight on the road during a 3-12-2 run, tallying two or fewer goals on 11 occasions during that stretch, including a 1-0 loss to the visiting Washington Capitals as +152 underdogs on Thursday night.
Earlier on Saturday, the Calgary Flames battle to keep their fading playoff hopes alive as they visit the San Jose Sharks as +149 underdogs. The Flames have dropped four straight going into Saturday afternoon’s matchup at the SAP Center at San Jose, including a crushing 4-0 loss to the Anaheim Ducks as a -105 home bet on Wednesday, and have been outscored by a 20-6 margin during their current swoon.
Conversely, the Sharks have scored 29 total goals during a six-game win streak that has lifted them into sole possession of second place in the Pacific Division. That run includes last week’s 7-4 win in Calgary as +117 underdogs that marks their fourth straight victory over the Flames.
Elsewhere on the Saturday NHL odds, the Ottawa Senators host the Carolina Hurricanes as +118 underdogs, while the Montreal Canadiens welcome the Capitals to the Bell Centre as a +158 wager, and the Edmonton Oilers take on the Los Angeles Kings in late-night action as +109 home underdogs.
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