Canadiens vs Maple Leafs Betting Odds and Predictions Feb 21

Canadiens vs Maple Leafs Betting Preview

After getting to know each other quite well in the All-Canada division last season, Montreal and Toronto haven’t met since Opening Night. WagerTalk NHL handicapper Andy Lang offers his Canadiens vs Maple Leafs betting preview, with Toronto as a hefty road favorite on Monday night.

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Monday, February 21	NHL Betting Notes, Courtesy of Caesars
Moneyline:	Toronto Maple Leafs -400 vs Montreal Canadiens +320
Puckline:	Maple Leafs -1.5 (-145) / Canadiens +1.5 (+125)
Total:	6 Goals (Over -130 / Under +110)
Game Time:	7:05pm ET / 4:05pm PT
Arena:	Bell Centre in Montreal
TV:	ESPN+

Canadiens vs Maple Leafs Analysis

The Leafs fell to 32-13-3 after getting doubled up 6-3 at home on Saturday against the St Louis Blues. Meanwhile, the Canadiens improved to 10-33-7 after picking up a 3-2 shootout victory yesterday afternoon in New York against the Islanders.

While Montreal prevailed as an underdog in the playoffs, Toronto exacted some form of revenge in a 2-1 home victory in the first game of the regular season.

Lost Season For Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens come into this game in last place in the Eastern Conference with basically no chance of making the playoffs. All they have is to try and play spoiler, which is very disappointing after making it to the Stanley Cup Final last year. However they did steal a 3-2 shootout victory in their last game, with goalie Andrew Hammond stopping 30 of 32 shots. Jeff Petry and Josh Anderson each scored a goal in regulation.

Montreal has struggled in all facets of the game, they rank dead last in both goals scored and goals against. Nick Suzuki leads the team with only 29 points. Jake Allen was their struggling No. 1 goalie, but has and will miss significant time with a lower body injury. Sam Montembeault hasn’t been much better, with a 3-10-4 record, 3.91 goals against average and .895 save percentage.

Leafs Turn The Page After Loss

At 32-13-3 the Toronto Maple sit at 5th place in the Eastern Conference, only six games behind the first place Florida Panthers. However, they did drop their last game 6-3 against the St Louis Blues. William Nylander had two goals and Alexander Kerfoot had two assists in the loss.

The Toronto offense has been on fire this season, they have scored three or more goals in eight of their last ten games. They rank fourth in goals per game and seventh in shots per game.

Auston Matthews leads the team with 59 points, he is tied for second in the league with 33 goals on the season. The Leafs have also excelled on defense and in goaltending. They rank sixth in goals against and 12th in shots against on the season. Jack Campbell has been amazing in between the pipes. He has a 23-8-3 record with a 2.41 GAA and .922 save percentage.

Canadiens vs Maple Leafs Prediction

The money line is this game is through the roof with the Maple Leafs as -400 favorites on the road in Montreal. The puck line sits at Leafs -1.5 -145 with the Canadiens getting a +1.5 headstart at +125.

The Maple Leafs are 6-1 in their last seven games against a team with a losing record. Meanwhile the Canadiens are 1-11 in their last 12 games against a team with a .600 winning percentage or better.

The Leafs’ offense has been off the charts and Montreal’s goaltending has been erratic, which isn’t an ideal situation. We are going to lay the -1.5 at -145 and roll with the Leafs in this one.

Official Play: Toronto Maple Leafs -1.5 (-145)

Interested in placing a bet on Monday night’s Canadiens vs Maple Leafs clash? Caesars Sports is offering up to a $1,500 match bet for first-time deposits in New Jersey, West Virginia, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona, New York and Louisiana.

Hockey Betting 101 | What is the Puckline?

The puckline is hockey’s version of the point spread. When betting on the puckline, the favorite is -1.5 goals on the spread, with the underdog at +1.5 goals. Betting on the favorite requires your team to win its game by two or more goals. Conversely, betting on the underdog at +1.5 means that your team can either win the game or lose by one goal, and your ticket will still cash.

Since the majority of hockey betting is built around the moneyline, casual bettors might be turned off by laying larger prices with the top teams in the league. Instead of laying -200 or -250 on a strong favorite, a more attractive option might be laying -1.5 goals at a more reasonable price point. Conversely, it can be hard to pull the trigger on a +200 underdog that’s expected to lose their game over 60% of the time. Well, it gets a little easier to put your money on them if you’re getting a +1.5 goal head start.

WagerTalk Live Odds Screen

WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NHL moneylines, puck lines and betting percentages for all of Monday’s NHL games, including this Canadiens vs Maple Leafs showdown, from your desktop or phone.

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