Maple Leafs vs Canadiens Odds and Best Bet for NHL Season Opener

• The Maple Leafs and Canadiens open their NHL seasons on Wednesday, October 12th
• Toronto is priced as heavy -270 favorites in the Wednesday NHL odds
• Read below for the odds, game preview and best bet

For the second consecutive year, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens open their respective NHL seasons with a matchup against one another. Toronto prevailed by a 2-1 score in 2021, but the Habs have had the Leafs’ number lately.

Oddsmakers have priced the Maple Leafs as heavy -265 favorites in the Leafs vs Habs Wednesday NHL odds. The total is set at 7 as goaltender Matt Murray makes his debut for the blue and white.

Let’s dive into the Leafs vs Habs matchup and find the best bet for Wednesday Night Hockey.

Maple Leafs vs Canadiens Odds

Odds as of Oct. 12 at Barstool Sportsbook. Use the Barstool Sportsbook promo code to wager on NHL. 

Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM EST at the Bell Centre, with Sportsnet providing the broadcast coverage in Canada.

Toronto’s -265 moneyline price in the NHL odds means they have 72.6% implied win probability.

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Maple Leafs Betting Analysis

Toronto enters the 2022-23 NHL season following another strong regular season that resulted in playoff disappointment. Toronto finished second in the Atlantic Division with 115 points before bowing out in Round 1 of the playoffs to Tampa Bay.

Toronto has the best player in Wednesday’s game in Auston Matthews, who exploded for a 60-goal NHL season in 2021-22. The 25-year-old is favored in the Rocket Richard Trophy odds and has scored 22 goals in 27 career games vs Montreal.

Toronto’s offense is always dynamic with the likes of Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander, but defense and goaltending are where the issues lie. After losing Jack Campbell to the Oilers, Toronto acquired Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov as their new goalie tandem.

There is one injury of note for Toronto, as captain John Tavares missed most of the preseason with an oblique muscle strain. The latest John Tavares injury update is that he’s “feeling good” and expects to return for the season opener.

 Canadiens Betting Analysis

Montreal kicks off their new season following a miserable 2021-22 campaign that saw them finish at the bottom of the NHL standings with only 55 points. The good news is they landed the first pick in the NHL Draft and selected winger Juraj Slafkovsky.

Slafkovsky will make his NHL debut against Toronto and looks to be another offensive weapon for the Habs. Montreal’s top line is headlined by recently named captain Nick Suzuki and sniper Cole Caufield, both of whom netted 20-plus goals last season.

Caufield-Suzuki-Anderson
Monahan-Dach-Hoffman
Slafkovsky-Dvorak-Gallagher
Pitlick-Evans-Dadonov

Guhle-Savard
Xhekaj-Wideman
Harris-Kovacevic

— Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu) October 12, 2022

In the goaltending crease, the Habs will also be without the goalie who’s played for them the most lately in this rivalry. Carey Price has yet to recover from offseason knee surgery, meaning Jake Allen (.911 SV% in 2021-22) will get the start.

Montreal is a huge underdog for Wednesday Night Hockey, but the recent head-to-head results are in their favor. The table below shows that the Canadiens have actually taken five of the past seven meetings with the Maple Leafs.

Recent Head-to-Head Results

Leafs vs Habs Same Game Parlay

When it comes to same-game parlay options for Leafs vs Habs, there are two solid options depending on which side you’re leaning. If betting Toronto, combining Auston Matthews Anytime Goalscorer (-135) and Leafs ML (-265) is a no-brainer. Those parlay odds on Barstool are +105.

💥 AM34 💥

Take a look back at @MapleLeafs Auston Matthews' Top 5 plays from the 2021-22 NHL season! pic.twitter.com/xtvsVyofJb

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 17, 2022

If you’re wanting to bet the underdog, combining Cole Caufield Anytime Goalscorer (+180) with the Habs Moneyline (+205) gives crazy +500 parlay odds at Barstool. Considering Caufield has scored five goals in eight career games vs Toronto, this is an NHL same-game parlay worth serious consideration.

If you’re just looking for a straight bet, continue reading to the final section for our official pick.

Leafs vs Canadiens Pick & Prediction

After a disappointing playoff loss in Game 7, Toronto is going to want to start the new season with a bang. The Habs also are going to want to turn the page on last season, but they simply don’t boast the same firepower up front.

The Habs do hold an advantage with the game being played at the always-electric Bell Centre, but it’s worth noting that Montreal only has one win in their last eight home games. Here are some other betting trends to keep in mind for Toronto vs Montreal:

• Toronto is 15-5 in their last 20 games played on a Wednesday
• Toronto is 13-3 in their last 16 games when playing as the favorite
• The total has gone OVER in 5 of Toronto’s last 6 games

Betting Matthews to score is a great bet given his history vs Montreal, but we’re gonna take the Leafs in regulation as our official play. The last five meetings have been decided in regulation, and Toronto shouldn’t need extra time to take care of business Wednesday.

Pick: Maple Leafs Regular Time Moneyline (-157)