Make it Two for Keefe and the Leafs

The Sheldon Keefe Era in Toronto is off to a strong start – but the new Maple Leafs head coach faces a much stiffer test in his second game at the helm as Toronto tangles with the host Colorado Avalanche. Keefe was victorious in his first game as Mike Babcock's replacement, earning a 3-1 win in Arizona on Thursday night.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

Colorado has opened Saturday's matchup as a -120 home favorite, marking just the third time in the past six meetings that the hosts have been favored. The total is set at 6.5 for the third consecutive meeting between the clubs.

Toronto News & Notes

Keefe has said the Maple Leafs have the talent to rebound from a 9-10-4 start under Babcock that has the club sitting outside the Eastern Conference playoff race despite coming into the season as one of the betting favorites to end its Stanley Cup drought. And it showed in Arizona, as Toronto scored once in each period while keeping the Coyotes at bay for most of the night.

Fast starts have eluded the Maple Leafs this season – and that could lead to a solid betting opportunity. Including Thursday's win over Arizona, Toronto has scored the Sportsbook goal in just six of its first 24 games of the campaign. The Avalanche, on the other hand, have scored first in 13 of their Sportsbook 22 games and are a red-hot 10-1-2 when they do.

Colorado News & Notes

Pepsi Center will be the site of a pair of reunions, as longtime Leafs forward Nazem Kadri and ex-Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie tangle with their former teams. And aside from that narrative, there's a compelling reason to consider a Kadri scoring prop Saturday: the 29-year-old has at least one point in four consecutive home games dating back to the end of October.

So what else will the Avalanche need to do to reverse a trend that has seen the road team win 13 of the previous 17 meetings? Improving their faceoff percentage certainly couldn't hurt. Colorado comes into the game ranked 30th out of 31 NHL teams in faceoff success rate at 46.4 percent, while the Maple Leafs lead the league at 53.7 percent.

Betting Pick: Maple Leafs Moneyline

Keefe is right: The Maple Leafs are too talented to be playing this poorly. And while the faceoff disparity won't necessarily decide the game, it does make Toronto an even more attractive play at decent odds.