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The Montreal Canadiens will kick off their 2022 NHL season against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Center on Wednesday night at 7:00 PM ET.
The Maple Leafs are among the Stanley Cup favorites, while the Habs are in the process of rebuilding, putting the two teams at opposite ends of the power rankings spectrum.
They will play each other on Game Day 1 for the second year in a row. Last year, Toronto defeated Montreal 2-1 to claim the victory.
The Canadiens lead the Maple Leafs 3-2 in their last five meetings of the regular season.
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The Maple Leafs want to get their season off to a good start, and they should do so against a weak Habs squad. They will, however, be keeping an eye on a few things as they open the season after some significant offseason adjustments.
Start by keeping an eye on how many players will be there for the season's first game versus Montreal. Given that Toronto is now just barely under the salary ceiling, putting together any player-adding deals would be extremely challenging.
They are anticipated to be without a variety of players due to injury, with John Tavares being the most significant. Along with these players, Jordie Benn, Fraser Minten, and Rodion Amirov won't be donning uniforms.
Fans of the Montreal Canadiens, who ended up with the fewest points in the NHL last season, will be interested to see how things have changed—if they have changed—since then.
Given that he just finished a season in which he recorded 60 points and 21 goals, Nick Suzuki must take the initiative. With 43 points, 23 of which were goals, Cole Caufield had a significant influence as well.
Jake Allen will need to perform better in goal for Habs to advance. Last season, he had a 9-20-4 record.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Montreal Canadiens Match Details
Fixture: Maple Leafs at Canadiens
Date and Time: Wednesday, October 12 at 7:00 PM ET
Venue: Bell Center, Montreal, Quebec
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Montreal Canadiens Betting Odds
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Toronto Maple Leafs vs Montreal Canadiens Best Picks and Prediction
It goes without saying that the Maple Leafs don't want to enter this contest with fewer than 19 or 20 players well prepared. But given their current situation, that might end up being an option for them. Make sure to check the newswires before making your NHL picks if you bet online.
Montreal would like to start the new season strong, but talent is once more lacking. The talent gap should be strongly in Toronto's advantage as they still have a wide range of playmakers who will be able to play.
The Maple Leafs are the ones to play in this situation, with players like Mitchell Marner and Auston Matthews leading the charge. Although it is a high price, if they didn't have these roster issues, they might be more expensive.
Pick: Maple Leafs -1.5 (-105)
Prediction: Maple Leafs -260
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