Free NHL Picks Today: Ottawa Senators vs Toronto Maple Leafs 3/18/23

The Toronto Maple Leafs (-145) and their clutch power play offense are on the road to take on the Ottawa Senators (+125), one of the NHL’s top penalty killing teams, at Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday.

The total is 6.5 (O: -130, U: +110)Toronto (41-18-9) is kicking off a five-game road trip with the second of a back-to-back after earning a 5-2 win over the Hurricanes yesterday.

The Maple Leafs took advantage of their limited power play opportunities, scoring once on one shots while holding Carolina without a power play goal. Zach Aston-Reese was the top goalscorer for the Maple Leafs with two goals.

Ilya Samsonov had a great performance with 32 saves (.941%) in the win.Ottawa (33-31-4) dropped their fourth straight game, falling 5-4 to the Avalanche on Thursday.

Four players found the net for the Senators. Tim Stuetzle had three assists to lead the team in scoring. Mads Sogaard only had 25 saves on 30 shots against (.833%) in the loss.

HEAD TO HEAD

The teams have split their two meetings this season, the most recent of which was a 6-2 victory for the Senators in January. Brady Tkachuk (2G 0A), Claude Giroux (1G 1A), and Stuetzle (0G 2A) each had two points to lead Ottawa. William Nylander and Joey Anderson were on the scoresheet for Toronto. Anton Forsberg got the win, saving 31 of 33 shots (.939%).

FACING OFF

Toronto is averaging 3.41 goals per game for the season, eighth in the NHL, and they are taking on a Senators team that is allowing 3.28 goals a game (20th). Meanwhile, Ottawa has found the net 3.12 times a game on average, 17th in the league, and the Maple Leafs are holding opponents to 2.66 goals per game (4th).

Expect several power play opportunities for the Maple Leafs, as the Senators have been penalized 4.69 times a game, second-most in the NHL, for an average of 11.75 minutes (fourth-highest). The visitors are averaging 3.66 penalties (18th) and 8.26 penalty minutes a game (21st).

The Maple Leafs’ second-ranked power play offense (25.62%) will face a challenging test against the Senators, who are the league’s fourth-best penalty killing team (83.00%).

Ottawa, meanwhile, has scored on 23.74% of their power play opportunities (8th), which the home team will be seeking to build on against Toronto’s 12th-ranked 81.46% penalty killing rate.

TOP PERFORMERS:

With 87 points this season, seventh-most in the NHL, Mitchell Marner is the top skater for the Maple Leafs. He is among the league leaders with 62 assists (4th) and has added 25 goals of his own.

In the net, Samsonov (24-8-3) is Toronto’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 2.35 GAA, fifth-best in the league, and a .917% save percentage.

Stuetzle leads the Senators in scoring with 76 points. He has 34 goals and 42 assists in 64 games. Cam Talbot (15-14-1) has the best goals against average for Ottawa at 2.85. He has a save percentage of .905%.

HOME AND AWAY

Toronto is 16-11-4 away from home this season. Ottawa is 19-13-2 at Canadian Tire Centre this season. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs are 6-4 without a day off and 4-3 playing with a rest disadvantage. The Senators are 5-1 with a rest advantage.