Maple Leafs' Latest Swoon Continues in St. Lou

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a new head coach, but they're already back to their old ways as they look to end their latest slump Saturday night in St. Louis. The Maple Leafs have dropped three of four since winning their first three games under new bench boss Sheldon Keefe, and will look to end a seven-game losing streak in their head-to-head series with the Blues.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

Being a road underdog hasn't suited the Maple Leafs at all; they've lost six straight games in that scenario dating back to last April and have been outscored 28-11 in those contests.

Toronto Maple Leafs News & Notes

It's safe to say the Sheldon Keefe honeymoon has ended in Toronto. The new Maple Leafs head coach has seen his team revert back to its Mike Babcock-era habits, struggling at both ends en route to back-to-back losses to Philadelphia and Colorado by a combined 9-2 count. The Toronto offense has been of particular concern, producing just four goals over its last three games.

Don't be surprised to see Keefe mix up the Leafs' top two forward lines in an effort to generate more offense (though in the team's defense, it did produce an incredible 110 shots over its past three contests.) And the task becomes greater with the loss of forward Andreas Johnsson, who is out indefinitely after being placed on IR with a leg injury suffered while blocking a shot.

St. Louis Blues News & Notes

It should come as no surprise that the Blues have been largely tentative on offense this season, ranking in the bottom third in the league in shots on goal per game. The losses of forwards Vladimir Tarasenko, Oskar Sundqvist and Alexander Steen, among others, have resulted in the Blues relying even more on a defense and goaltending unit that ranks fifth in goals against (2.50).

But the Blues might not have to work as hard in this one if they can goad Toronto into a couple of penalties. St. Louis enters this one with the sixth-best power play in the league at 23.7 percent, which creates a mismatch against a Maple Leafs penalty kill that sits 27th overall (75.5). And Toronto ranks 12th in the league in power-play opportunities yielded with 94.

Betting Pick: St. Louis -1.5

The Blues are the better team, with home-ice advantage, against a Maple Leafs roster that is still finding its footing under Keefe. And if Toronto gets into penalty trouble, this one could turn into a laugher.