The first chapter of the 2022-23 battle of Ontario opens on Saturday night when the new-look Ottawa Senators travel to Toronto to face the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Goaltending will be a significant deciding factor in our analysis and the game, especially considering this is the Maple Leafs’ most glaring issue.
Saturday’s NHL Matchups
While the season has just begun, we’ll review the pertinent Senators vs. Maple Leafs betting stats and the betting odds to help you pick the best from Saturday’s NHL matchups for your betting ticket.
Puck Drop for the Senators vs. Maple Leafs is scheduled for 7:00 P.M. ET on Saturday, October 15th, 2022, from the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. You can catch the Senators vs. Maple Leafs on NHLPP or ESPN+.
Ottawa Senators vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
Ottawa Senators Stats
The Ottawa Senators have played one game in the 2022-23 NHL Season. In their first regular-season game, the Ottawa Senators lost 4-1 to the Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo.
After Saturday’s matchup with the Leafs, the Senators next game is their home opener on October 18th, so we expect Forsberg to start the first three games of the regular season, considering the rest between games and the face we are in the first week of the NHL season and should make the Senators odds more favorable than if back-up goalie Magnus Hellberg was in the net.
Anton Forsberg got the start for the Senators, making 32 saves (.941 save percentage) and only giving up two goals.
The Sabres scored two empty-net goals in the final minute of the game in what was a very even game statistically.
Slot-in
That should be an indicator from the Senators vs. Maple Leafs betting stats of where the new-look Senators will slot-in in the NHL this year: even with the likes of Buffalo and more competitive against the best teams in the Eastern Conference like the:
- Tampa Bay Lightning
- New York Rangers
- Saturday’s opponent Toronto Maple Leafs
The Senators’ power play went 0-4 against the Sabres, while Ottawa’s penalty-killers matched the Sabres’ penalty-killing units by nullifying four power-play opportunities, going 4/4 in the game.
Toronto Maple Leafs Stats
The Toronto Maple Leafs have played two games in the NHL preseason and have a 1-1-0 record. The Maple Leafs lost their first game of the season 4-3 to bitter rivals, the Montreal Canadiens – likely going to be amongst the worst teams this year – on a goal in the last minute of the third period.
The Maple Leafs bounced back against the Washington Capitals, earning a 3-2 win in the Maple Leafs home opener.
Roster Analysis
John Tavares shares a lead on the Toronto Maple Leafs in points with 3, scoring 1 goal in 2 assists so far in 2022-23, with Morgan Rielly (0 goals, 3 assists).
Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner will always factor into any Maple Leafs betting picks simply because they will be among the top-ranked skaters in the NHL player stats rankings as the season progresses.
So far in 2022, Marner has 2 points (0 G, 2A), while Matthews has only one goal in two games. Expect Marner and Matthews to play an increasingly important role in the power play, where Toronto has a 14.29% in two games.
While the Maple Leafs are among the most potent offenses in the NHL, their defense is lacking depth, and they have a glaring issue in the net.
Goaltending Got Worse
The Toronto Maple Leafs goaltending got worse over the summer when Jack Campbell signed a free-agent deal with the Edmonton Oilers in the off-season. Toronto’s goaltending solution is a tandem of Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov.
That’s not a good goaltending duo, and with a defense core lacking depth, the Maple Leafs will have to outscore whatever their goaltending gives up every night to live up to the contender status we’ve all labeled the Maple Leafs with.
Murray is 0-1, with a .826 save percentage (against the expected-to-be-bad Montreal Canadiens, no less), while Samsonov is 1-0 with a.923 save percentage.
Ottawa Senators vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Betting Trends
Important to Maple Leafs betting picks are their records against the spread so far in 2022-23. The Toronto Maple Leafs are 0-2 against the spread this season while going 1-1 on the moneyline.
As of publication, the Ottawa Senators have only played one game so far this season and are 0-1 against the spread and on the moneyline.
As of publication, there are limited betting odds available for Saturday’s matchup to consider alongside the early 2022-23 Senators vs Maple Leafs stats.
NHL Schedule
We highly recommend checking the odds closer to puck drop to get the latest odds from Saturday’s NHL schedule.
Moneyline
As expected, the Toronto Maple Leafs have opened as the moneyline betting favorite on most online sportsbooks, averaging -169 odds. The Ottawa Senators are the current moneyline betting underdog, averaging +150 odds.
Puck line
The puck line spread is set to 1.5. The Toronto Maple Leafs are listed at -1.5 as the betting underdog, with an average of +130 odds.
In contrast, the Ottawa Senators are listed at +1.5 and are the betting favorite to cover the spread, with average odds of -149.
Senators vs. Maple Leafs Matchup Predictions
After reviewing the Senators vs Maple Leafs stats, it’s clear that we don’t think much of either team’s goaltending.
The Senators and Maple Leafs have the offensive firepower to fill the net quickly, especially against weak goaltending. A play on the total goals betting line is possible, depending on where the lines shift.
We cannot stress how much we don’t like Toronto’s goaltending. If Matt Murray starts on Saturday, we’ll likely pick the Senators to win on the moneyline and cover the spread.
More Favorable
If the Maple Leafs go with Samsonov, we are more favorable toward picking the Maple Leafs on either the moneyline or the puck line spread.
Again, we highly recommend checking closer to puck drop to get the latest odds and who is going to start for the Maple Leafs before making any Maple Leafs betting picks on Saturday.
If we’re using these Senators vs Maple Leafs stats to make our pick, we’re taking the Ottawa Senators to cover the puck-line spread. The Senators have built a pretty good team with great parts that need more time to gel.
NHL Pick: Senators +1.5 (+149)
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