Canadiens No Stranger To Success As Underdogs

The last time these teams faced off in a meaningful hockey game, it was the Canadiens who celebrated an improbable comeback after rallying from a 3-1 deficit in their first-round playoff series to eliminate the heavily favored Maple Leafs. Montreal used that momentum to make it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals before their string of upsets was ended by the champion Tampa Bay Lightning.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The Maple Leafs opened this game as strong -190 favorites. You can now find odds ranging from as low as Toronto -155 to as high as Toronto -180 if you shop around. The total sits at 5.5 but with enough juice on the OVER that it appears some sportsbooks will get to 6 before the puck drops. 

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Montreal News & Notes 

This was a difficult offseason for the Canadiens, who not only lost defensive specialist Phillip Danault but also the veteran leadership of Corey Perry. Both players departed via free agency.

The Canadiens also had to deal with an injury to blue-line stalwart Shea Weber, who may have played his last NHL game. The two-time Olympic gold medalist will be missed both on the ice and in the locker room.

It was also announced recently that Carey Price, who played at an exceptionally high level throughout the playoff run, has voluntarily taken a 30-day leave of absence. Price will focus on his family and mental health while missing at least one month of action.

Montreal did bring in Stanley Cup-winning defenseman David Savard and power-play specialist Mike Hoffman, both of whom will be counted on to play regular minutes.

Toronto News & Notes

Toronto GM Kyle Dubas spent most of his offseason justifying his commitment to his current core of players, despite their lack of playoff success. The Maple Leafs lost Zach Hyman to free agency, and filled some gaps up front by signing Nick Ritchie and Michael Bunting to compete for a top-six role. 

The other significant signing for Toronto was goalie Petr Mrazek, who will share crease duties with Jack Campbell. In only 12 starts last year, Mrazek posted a 2.06 goals-against average and .923 save percentage.

Auston Matthews (wrist injury) will not play tonight for Toronto and the superstar sniper will probably miss the first three regular-season games. Mitch Marner was also hurt in practice recently and is listed as questionable. Marner and Matthews are projected to combine for somewhere near 200 points this season and missing one or both of them is obviously a huge loss offensively.

How Montreal Will Win 

The Canadiens used their strong, physical defensemen to make life uncomfortable for Toronto forwards in last year’s playoffs while relying heavily on Price. Obviously, Montreal will not have Price for this game, but Jake Allen may be the best backup goalie in the NHL. If the Habs can bring the same intensity and physical play they did in upsetting Toronto last year, they can skate away with an Sportsbook-night win.

How Toronto Will Win 

Toronto is built for regular-season success and there is a reason the Maple Leafs opened as a big favorite on the moneyline. Even without Matthews, the Leafs have more skill up front than Montreal and they believe their top-four defensive unit of Morgan Rielly, T.J. Brodie, Jake Muzzin and Justin Holl is good enough to shut down opposing teams. Assuming Jack Campbell is the same Jack Campbell that Leafs fans watched in the second half of last year, Toronto has every opportunity to win this game.

Computer Pick: Maple Leafs -175

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