The Leafs and Canadiens renew their historic rivalry Saturday in a high-stakes, likely high-scoring matchup as Toronto chases its fourth straight win.
On Saturday, hockey fans are in for one of the sport’s premier rivalries as the Toronto Maple Leafs head home to take on the Montreal Canadiens. This iconic matchup dates back to 1917, fueled by more than a century of history and animosity.
The two franchises have faced each other 774 times, including seven meetings in the Stanley Cup Final, and they will meet again Saturday night. Toronto won the first matchup of the season 5–2 in early October, while Montreal answered with a 5–2 victory in late November. Both teams enter the game hungry for points. The Leafs are aiming for their first four-game winning streak of the season, and the Canadiens have taken four of their last six, setting up another classic showdown.
For anyone following the Pad Stack challenge, the approach remains unchanged. We start with $10 and build it steadily through disciplined, research-driven wagers. Our best run of the season peaked at $411.47 on Monday before a late empty-net goal by the Florida Panthers spoiled our Vancouver spread. Confidence is high heading into Saturday’s Leafs-Habs matchup, and we’re ready to make this one count.
All betting lines are from BetMGM Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
Sign up with BetMGM, make a deposit, and place your first wager on any game using your First Bet Offer token. If that bet with the token applied loses, you’ll get your original stake paid back in Bonus Bets, up to $1,500! Get in the game today with BetMGM.
New Odds Suggest Maple Leafs Missing Playoffs
Struggling Toronto Maple Leafs face mounting playoff doubts with odds suggesting they miss the postseason for the first time since 2016.
Picks: Leafs ML & Over 4.5 Goals (+105)
The home team has taken the last three meetings in this rivalry, and the Maple Leafs are looking to reassert their dominance after winning nine of their previous eleven matchups with the Canadiens. Toronto has also claimed eight straight home victories over Montreal, and most of the Leafs’ limited success this season has come on home ice, where they hold an 8–4–3 record.
Their offense has been particularly strong at Scotiabank Arena, ranking fourth in the NHL with an average of 3.53 goals per game. However, their defensive struggles have kept games tight and high-scoring, as they allow 3.33 goals per home contest, which is tied for the seventh-worst mark in the league.
They will meet a Montreal team that has been unexpectedly strong on the road, posting a 7–3–2 record with the league’s sixth-best road offense at 3.42 goals per game, a figure that matches Toronto’s home output. The two teams have combined for seven or more goals in three of their past five meetings, and Toronto’s defensive issues have pushed most of their games over the total this year. The Leafs will again be without goaltender Joseph Woll and are already missing Anthony Stolarz, so the pattern should hold that 18 of their 27 games have featured at least seven goals and 25 of 27 have reached five or more.
Based on these trends, this matchup is very likely to go over the total again, with the Leafs positioned to hold on for a home win, secure their first four-game winning streak of the season, and move closer to getting back into the playoff race. A $10 wager on this same-game parlay would return $10.50, giving us a total of $20.50 to work with heading into the rest of the week.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.