Hockey's oldest rivalry will be rekindled in the NHL playoffs for the first time in four decades when the Toronto Maple Leafs open their first-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night as heavy -210 home favourites for Game 1 on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto enters the post-season as divisional champions for the first time in 20 years after finishing the regular season atop the North Division standings, but has plenty to work to do to rewrite a losing playoff narrative going into Thursday night's matchup at Scotiabank Arena.
The Maple Leafs sit among the favourites as a strong +600 wager on the Stanley Cup odds, but have failed to record a playoff series win in five post-season appearances since 2004. Toronto must also overcome its dismal track record in the team's most recent playoff meetings with the Canadiens. The Maple Leafs were swept in each of their past two playoff clashes with Montreal, in 1978 and 1979, and have not tallied a post-season victory over their arch rivals since their last Stanley Cup championship win back in 1967.
But while Toronto was clearly overmatched in its playoff meetings with the legendary Canadiens teams of the 1970s, the tables have turned this time around. In addition to finishing atop the divisional standings, the Maple Leafs also closed out the regular season tied for fourth overall in the NHL. And while Toronto finished out its schedule with losses in a pair of meaningless contests, the team rides a four-game win streak on home ice into Thursday's action.
That run includes a pair of decisive wins over Montreal that lifted the Maple Leafs' head-to-head record against the Canadiens this season to 7-2-1, including four wins by multi-goal margins. With the Maple Leafs surging and the injury-plagued Canadiens stumbling down the stretch, Toronto has also emerged as a clear favourite to go on to win this series, sporting short -340 odds on the NHL playoff series prices.
Losers in each of their final five games of the regular season, the Canadiens aim to rebound as they get set for Game 1 as +175 road underdogs at online betting sites. Montreal has been outscored by a wide 21-11 overall margin during its season-ending swoon, which has been marked by the absence of key personnel.
Forwards Brendan Gallagher and Phillip Danault, rearguard Shea Weber, and netminder Carey Price have all missed time for the Canadiens due to injury, while sniper Jonathan Drouin has been away from the team for personal reasons. However, all but Drouin are poised to return in time for Game 1 on Thursday night.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiYWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnNwb3J0c25ldC5jYS9uaGwvYXJ0aWNsZS9tYXBsZS1sZWFmcy1vcGVuLXBsYXlvZmYtY2xhc2gtY2FuYWRpZW5zLWJldHRpbmctZmF2b3VyaXRlcy_SAWBodHRwczovL3d3dy5zcG9ydHNuZXQuY2EvbmhsL21hcGxlLWxlYWZzLW9wZW4tcGxheW9mZi1jbGFzaC1jYW5hZGllbnMtYmV0dGluZy1mYXZvdXJpdGVzL3NuLWFtcC8?oc=5
2021-05-19 20:26:00Z
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