Sports Btting OverviewThere are three NHL teams that always seem to bring the best out of the Toronto Maple Leafs; the Buffalo Sabres, the Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators. Regardless of what else is going on in the Maple Leafs’ season, a game against one of these three opponents will always be a barn-burner. The fans in Toronto hate these opponents and the players hate these opponents as well. Although, it can be said that the fan hatred is a little deeper than that of the players. The price per head sports experts point out that it has been a long time since the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs have been in a heated playoff race in the same season. The current playoff race is another thing that makes this game so interesting.
The Ottawa fans are just getting over hosting the All-Star game where the fans were very accommodating to Toronto All-Stars like Phil Kessel. However, the fans will not be so accommodating when Kessel and the rest of the Leafs roll into town for this game. The fans in Ottawa are watching to see what happens with the Super Bowl odds, but they are more interested in seeing if the Senators can get into the playoffs. The Ottawa team has been up and down all season long. The Senators have been at the very bottom of the Eastern Conference and now it has risen towards the top. It has been a very difficult season for the fans and players in Ottawa.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Last year, goaltender James Reimer was seen as the future of the Maple Leafs’ franchise. He was often credited with single-handedly keeping the Leafs in the playoff hunt late into the season. Reimer got his big contract over the summer and started out the season fairly strong. But when Reimer suffered a serious injury in December, back up Jonas Gustavsson took over as the starter. Reimer tried to jump back in when he was healthy, but Reimer just could not win like he used to. Now Gustavsson is the starter in Toronto. It sounds like a typical sports story, but it is also a microcosm of the Leafs’ problems for the past few years. Toronto cannot settle on a starting goaltender and cannot develop an identity on defense. The lack of an identity is breeding inconsistency and causing problems in Toronto.
Ottawa Senators
Sportsbook reviews of the games that the Ottawa Senators have played this season show that the Senators win and lose in streaks. That is because the Ottawa starting goaltender Craig Anderson wins and loses in streaks. Anderson can have a night where he makes 40 saves and gets the shutout and then follows that up with a game where he gives up five goals on 20 shots. The Senators have been hot lately because Anderson was hot, but the Senators also rode a three-game losing streak into the All-Star break where Anderson was in goal for all three games.
The Bottom Line
Neither of these teams have the consistency to remain a top contender in the Eastern Conference. But the Leafs play a bit more consistently than Ottawa does and that should help the Toronto Maple Leafs to pull out the road win in this game.
BSNblog Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs
