The Toronto Maple Leafs will head on the road to take on the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, March 25 for a matchup between the best team in the seven-team, all-Canadian North Division and the team currently in last place.
Toronto will enter Thursday’s game with 42 points, which is a three-way tie for the top spot in the division with a 20-10-2 record. Also with 42 points are the Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers as the Maple Leafs have given up their solo spot atop the division.
Ottawa has 27 points, which is six points behind the next closest team, the Calgary Flames, as the Senators have a record of 12-20-3.
This game will get started at 7 p.m. ET from the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, and Toronto is a heavy favorite as we get closer to the start of this game.
The Maple Leafs lost their lead on the rest of the division in recent days, though they snapped a three-game losing streak with a 2-0 victory over the Flames at home their last time out on Saturday, March 20 to split a two-game series with Calgary. Jack Campbell filled in for Frederik Andersen at the goalie position and made 31 saves in a shutout win. Jason Spezza and Zach Hyman each scored a goal for Toronto.
The Senators’ last game also came against Calgary to close out a two-game series at home on Wednesday, March 24. Ottawa completed the sweep with a 3-1 victory as Filip Gustavsson saved 28 of 29 shots in the win. The Senators trailed 1-0 after the second period before scoring three goals in the third from Josh Norris, Chris Tierney and Nikita Zaitsev.
Injury Report
Andersen will not be on the ice, and he could be out till April with his lower body injury for the Maple Leafs. On the Ottawa side, Joey Daccord, Marcus Hogberg and Auston Watson will be unavailable for Thursday night’s game.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators Betting Info
Below is a look at the three main betting categories heading into this matchup with the puck line, goal total and moneyline odds with some of the recent betting trends. All odds are via a popular United States sportsbook.
Puck Line
The puck line is about even as far as the odds are concerned, as the Maple Leafs are getting -118 odds to cover -1.5 goals, while the Senators have -103 odds to cover +1.5.
Betting Trends: The Maple Leafs have struggled to cover the puck line this year, as they have a 12-20 record in that category, while Ottawa is 18-16 on the puck line this season.
Goal Total
Oddsmakers expect the total number of goals combined between the two teams will end up at 6.5 with the over getting -105 odds and the under at -117. The 6.5 over/under is tied for the highest number of any game being played on Thursday night.
Betting Trends: The over hit in five of Toronto’s last six games, while the under is 4-1 in Ottawa’s last five. The total went over in 13 of the last 18 meetings between these two teams.
Moneyline
As expected given the records of each team, the Maple Leafs enter as heavy favorites at -305 odds on the moneyline, while the Senators are at +250 to come away with the home upset.
Betting Trends: Toronto is 2-6 straight up in its last eight games, while Ottawa is 3-2 in its last five. The Maple Leafs won six of the last nine meetings between these two teams.
What’s Next?
The Maple Leafs will return home for a two-game series with Edmonton as the two teams are tied atop the conference as of the time of publication. Meanwhile, Ottawa’s schedule is a bit up in the air as the Senators’ next game against the Montreal Canadiens, which are going through COVID-19 issues. As of Thursday afternoon, two are scheduled to play on Tuesday, March 30 in Ottawa.
