Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens: Picks, Predictions, Odds and Player Props

On a stacked Saturday night slate of games in the NHL with plenty of playoff hopes on the line, a historic rivalry matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens - the two most decorated franchises in NHL history - still looks a standout game, even if only one of the teams will be heading to the postseason.

The Maple Leafs are still holding onto third spot in the Atlantic Division and may be able to improve their position with two games in hand on Florida. However, they failed to build on their win over the Panthers earlier this week as they went down to the Tampa Bay Lightning last time out, and games are running out as they look to close a six-point gap.

The biggest concern for Toronto may be the Lightning usurping it in the standings, with the gap between the two teams down to two points, although surging Tampa Bay have played a game more.

Sheldon Keefe's men will at least be at the playoff dance, something that cannot be said of the Canadiens, who are down in 15th in the Eastern Conference, 13 points off the last Wild Card place with only seven games remaining.

Still, Montreal would like nothing more than to get one over their arch rivals before the end of the season and we could be in for a cracking game at the Bell Centre on Saturday night.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens betting picks and predictions

Toronto Maple Leafs -1.5 (+125)

The Toronto Maple Leafs have enjoyed a good season as they have already confirmed their playoff place, although there have been one or two lapses and periods of inconsistency that may have fans a little worried heading into the postseason.

Keefe's men have gone 5-4-1 over their last 10 games and are six points behind second place in the Atlantic, while their failure to put a dominating run together of late has still left the door open for the Tampa Bay Lightning to ultimately clinch third.

A 6-4 win over the Panthers was followed by a 4-1 defeat to the Lightning and such back-to-back performances can make them a tough team to predict.

Whether the Montreal Canadiens have the necessary tools to take advantage of any lapses from the Leafs remains very much open to question, as the Habs are set to miss out on the playoffs for a third straight season since losing the Stanley Cup final in 2021, with another disappointing campaign seeing them 15th in the East with a 29-34-12 record.

Of course there is no love lost between these two teams and the Canadiens would love to upset the Toronto applecart, but they have lost the last four games to their rivals, including both meetings this season.

Like their upcoming opponents, Montreal lost to the Lightning last time out (7-4) and the defence - seventh worst in the NHL with 259 goals allowed - remains a huge cause for concern with the league's third ranked offence coming to town, led by top goalscorer Auston Matthews.

Although Toronto's defence is also a weak link, only five teams have scored fewer than the Canadiens and they are unlikely to capitalise on Saturday night.

Throw in the fact that the Maple Leafs have been performing better on the road (22-9-6) than they have at Scotiabank Arena (21-14-3) and they can win on the road again to complete a hat-trick over the Habs this season.

Auston Matthews over 1.5 points (+130)

Auston Matthews has enjoyed a fantastic season, leading the way in the NHL with 63 goals - 10 clear of his nearest challenger - while he ranks eighth with 99 points.

The 26-year-old is understandably the favourite at -145 to find the back of the net once again, odds not to be sniffed at considering his exploits so far this season, but there is plenty of value in expecting him to contribute more than one point at +130.

Matthews has racked up 19 points in 12 games since the trade deadline passed, scoring nine goals and providing 10 assists in that run, and he will be at the forefront of the action against one of the worst defences in the league.

Although he was kept off the scoresheet in March's win over the Canadiens, he scored a hat-trick in the season's first meeting between these two, while he contributed three points (two goals, one assist) in Tuesday's win over Florida before scoring the only Toronto goal against Tampa Bay.

Matthews' form cannot be faulted and at odds against of +130, he looks a tempting option to score multiple points against Montreal.

Cole Caufield over 3.5 shots (+100)

The Canadiens' offence has not been overly productive this season but it is not for a lack of effort and Cole Caufield was trying harder than most in Thursday night's defeat to the Lightning.

The 23-year-old is second in the team's goal and pointscoring charts with 22 and 57 respectively, with one of those coming in that 7-4 defeat. Caufield also led the team's efforts in that contest with seven shots on goal and it may pay to follow a similar theme on Saturday night.

Caufield has taken 11 more shots than any of his teammates in the last 12 games and with the mark set at 3.5, odds of +100 to have at least four shots at goal are again tempting.

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Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens odds

Toronto Maple Leafs	-205 ML
Montreal Canadiens	+170 ML
Puck Line	TOR Maple Leafs -1.5
Total	O/U 6.5

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens player props

Anytime Goalscorer

Auston Matthews (TOR Maple Leafs)	-145
William Nylander (TOR Maple Leafs)	+120
Nicholas Suzuki (MON Canadiens)	+165
Cole Caufield (MON Canadiens)	+175
John Tavares (TOR Maple Leafs)	+200
Mitchell Marner (TOR Maple Leafs)	+200

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.