Montreal Canadiens vs Toronto Maple Leafs Prediction 3-9-24 Picks

The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens meet in NHL action from the Bell Centre on Saturday night. Who comes out on top in Saturday’s original six rivalry matchup? Let’s dive in and find out with our Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens Prediction.

Toronto Maple Leafs Team Preview

The Toronto Maple Leafs come into this game looking to rebound from a 4-1 loss to Boston in their last matchup. William Nylander leads the Maple Leafs in scoring with 84 points including 34 goals and 50 assists while Auston Matthews has 80 points with a team-high 54 goals. Mitch Marner has 76 points with 51 assists while John Tavares has 45 points with 19 goals and 26 assists and Morgan Rielly has 46 points with 39 assists this season. Ilya Samsonov has gone 16-5-6 with a 3.23 GAA and an .885 save percentage and Joseph Woll has posted a 9-7-1 record with a 2.89 GAA and a .911 save percentage while Martin Jones is also 11-7-1 with a 2.71 GAA and a .907 save percentage as well this season.

Toronto Maple Leafs Team Facts

• The underdogs have won each of the Maple Leafs’ last five games at Bell Centre.
• The Maple Leafs have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last 23 games as favorites against Atlantic Division opponents.
• The Maple Leafs have lost the second period in each of their last four games at Bell Centre.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Maple Leafs’ last eight games as favorites against the Canadiens.

Montreal Canadiens Team Preview

The Montreal Canadiens come into this one looking to bounce back from a 4-1 loss to Carolina last time out. Nick Suzuki has a team-high 61 points with 25 goals and 36 assists while Cole Caufield has 50 points with 19 goals and 31 assists. Mike Matheson has 44 points with a team-high 36 assists of his own. Jake Allen is 6-12-3 with an .892 save percentage and 3.65 GAA while Sam Montembault is 13-11-5 with a 3.14 GAA and a .905 save percentage in goal for Montreal this season. Cayden Primeau is also 5-6-2 with a 3.04 GAA and a .901 save percentage this season for the Habs.

Montreal Canadiens Team Facts

• The Canadiens have lost each of their last nine games against Atlantic Division opponents.
• The Canadiens have covered the puck line in each of their last nine Saturday games at Bell Centre.
• The home team has won the second period in seven of the last eight games between the Maple Leafs and Canadiens.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in 19 of the Canadiens’ last 20 games as underdogs against Atlantic Division opponents.

Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens Prediction

I’m on Montreal +1.5 here. I get the case to be made for Toronto being favored, as the Leafs have been playing well lately against anyone not named the Boston Bruins. However, some of those games have been close and in this rivalry, despite Toronto being the better team lately for a lot of it, the games have always had a knack for being close. It wouldn’t surprise me if Toronto came in and blew the doors off of Montreal here, but I think given the rivalry nature between the two, Montreal’s in a decent spot to battle here and keep things within reason. Give me Montreal +1.5.