The rivalry between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators is one of the most heated in the NHL, as fans of the Maple Leafs tend to look down upon their little brothers from Canada’s capital. However, the Senators have surged up the standings and are ahead of Toronto by five points as of Tuesday. The two won’t meet until Saturday night in a huge primetime matchup.
Maple Leafs vs. Senators Odds – Saturday, 7:00 PM ET
The Maple Leafs won their last two games heading into the All-Star break, and it shouldn’t have surprised anyone, whether you are a 5Dimes veteran or a casual fan, that the trio of Toronto players were booed all weekend at the festivities in Ottawa. However, Phil Kessel, Joffrey Lupul and captain Dion Phaneuf reveled in it (Phaneuf even took a skate around the ice and behind the net to let the boos grow), but now it’s back to business. The Maple Leafs have to improve defensively if they want to be a force in the East, and even those watching Super Bowl odds will tell you that the New York Giants weren’t a thought for the big game until they sorted out that area of the team.
The Senators dropped three in a row before the break, but they weren’t a thought to players that use pay per head sportsbook software before the season started anyway, so they should be playing relaxed hockey. Ottawa had four players in the All-Star game that they hosted, led by captain Danie Alfredsson, and you have to pay attention to how the Senators use the face of their franchise as he may have had the busiest weekend of any player; it wasn’t really a break for the man they call “Alfie”.
Ottawa should be the favorites at home, but Toronto has won three of their last five on the road against their provincial rivals, with three games falling under the posted total. The Senators will also be in action on Friday night against the New York Islanders, while the Maple Leafs have a few days off after a home-and-home with Pittsburgh on Tuesday and Wednesday. This has been a running theme for this series as the Senators have played the night before in all four of their meetings with the Maple Leafs this season, and some Ottawa fans are miffed about it; we assume the players aren’t thrilled about it, either. But that being said, the Senators have managed to win three of those meetings and at least they’ll be at home the previous night, and they always get up for Toronto. We’re taking Ottawa in our online betting picks on Saturday.
