The Toronto Maple Leafs will be looking to pick up a sixth straight victory on Saturday night when they entertain the Pittsburgh Penguins as -175 home favourites on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto posted a narrow 2-1 victory over the visiting New York Rangers on Thursday night, and has posted the win in nine of 10 contests going into Saturday night’s matchup at Scotiabank Arena.
Once again, the Maple Leafs benefited from a stellar outing from goaltender Jack Campbell in Thursday’s win. Campbell has now earned wins in eight of nine starts while surrendering just 11 total goals and posting three shutouts. As a result, the UNDER has paid out in seven of the Maple Leafs’ past nine contests at sports betting sites.
The Penguins arrive in Toronto as +150 underdogs after rolling to a 6-0 win in Montreal over the Canadiens on Thursday. That victory served as a tonic for the Penguins, who went winless in their previous four road dates and have failed to tally consecutive victories during a middling 6-6-4 start. However, they have struggled at Scotiabank Arena, posting just one win in five visits since October 2015 according to the OddsShark NHL Database.
Also on Saturday, now riding a four-game slide the Canadiens take on the Nashville Predators on Saturday in a clash pegged as a pick’em at sportsbooks. Cole Caufield’s return to the lineup failed to spark the Canadiens, who were thoroughly outclassed by the Penguins while being outshot by a wide 43-24 margin.
Montreal has now been outscored by a 17-6 margin during an 0-3-1 run and must face red-hot Predators goaltender Juuse Saros, who has surrendered just 1.75 goals per game while going 6-1-1 over his past eight starts. Saros’ efforts were not enough to help Nashville in a 3-0 loss in Toronto on Tuesday. However, his play has been key to the Predators’ current 8-2-1 run, which has featured five road victories.
Elsewhere on the Saturday NHL odds, the Calgary Flames will be looking to tally consecutive wins for the first time in three weeks as they visit the slumping New York Islanders at -110 on the NHL moneyline.
The Flames have cooled down since opening their schedule on a 6-1-1 run. The team has won just three of nine since, but picked up at least a point in seven of those contests. Conversely, the Islanders search for answers as they get set to open their new home at UBS Arena. New York rides a four-game losing streak, capped by a 6-1 loss in Florida on Tuesday.
And later on Saturday, the Edmonton Oilers will be trying to pad their lead atop the Pacific Division standings as they host the surging Chicago Blackhawks as -200 betting favourites.
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