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Montreal Canadiens at Toronto Maple Leafs, NHL forecast

FinalESPN+

Away

Canadiens

0-1-0

2–5

at

Home

Maple Leafs

1-0-0

MTL 39%TOR 61%

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Scotiabank Arena · ESPN+

Win probability

Starts from the pregame forecast, then moves with every score and the time left. Above the line favors TOR; hover for each play.

TOR favored MTL favored7 scoring plays
P1P2P3TOR50%MTL

Game center

From the ESPN box score.

Top performers

Canadiens
Maple Leafs

Scoring summary

  • P319:45William Nylander Goal (1) Backhand, assists: Steven Lorentz (2), John Tavares (2)2–5
  • P318:28Auston Matthews Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: William Nylander (2)2–4
  • P39:02Morgan Rielly Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Matthew Knies (1), Matias Maccelli (1)2–3
  • P25:40Calle Jarnkrok Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Morgan Rielly (1), Steven Lorentz (1)2–2
  • P21:30Zachary Bolduc Goal (1) Backhand, assists: Brendan Gallagher (1), Kirby Dach (1)2–1
  • P15:39Oliver Kapanen Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: none1–1
  • P11:00Bobby McMann Goal (1) Tip-In, assists: William Nylander (1), John Tavares (1)0–1

Turning points

The 5 plays that swung the win chance most, each judged at its own moment: the chance with the score just before it against just after.

  1. P11:00Bobby McMann Goal (1) Tip-In, assists: William Nylander (1), John Tavares (1)MTL 0 – 1 TOR · TOR 61% → 74% +13
  2. P15:39Oliver Kapanen Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: noneMTL 1 – 1 TOR · MTL 26% → 40% +14
  3. P21:30Zachary Bolduc Goal (1) Backhand, assists: Brendan Gallagher (1), Kirby Dach (1)MTL 2 – 1 TOR · MTL 41% → 59% +18
  4. P25:40Calle Jarnkrok Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Morgan Rielly (1), Steven Lorentz (1)MTL 2 – 2 TOR · TOR 39% → 58% +19
  5. P39:02Morgan Rielly Goal (1) Wrist Shot, assists: Matthew Knies (1), Matias Maccelli (1)MTL 2 – 3 TOR · TOR 55% → 83% +29

The pick

Reconstructed from what was known before the game: the ratings at that point and the closing line.

Maple Leafs 61%

LeanHit
MTL 39%TOR 61%

Forecast Elo ratings alone

How often that comes true: NHL favorites the forecast gave 60–65% have won 62.4% of 599 graded games.

Market
TOR 61%
ML MTL +145 / TOR -170
Pre-line forecast
TOR 60%
Elo + market-implied
Elo ratings
TOR 65%
Ratings vs. market
+3.9 pts
TOR: Elo 64.6%, market 60.7%
Fair odds
TOR -154
MTL +154 · the forecast as odds, no margin
Pregame projection
MTL 2.4 – 3.1 TOR
Margin from the forecast, posted total 5.5

How the number is built

Elo inputs in rating points (higher favors that team; 25–28 Elo is about a point of spread in football and basketball), then how the pieces combine.

FactorMTLTORWhy
Team rating14811537Elo entering the game; 1500 is league average
Home field—+35Worth 35 Elo in the NHL
Starting goalies0+14MTL: Sam Montembeault: team allows 0.00 fewer goals than with its usual starter (≈44 weighted starts) · TOR: Anthony Stolarz: team allows 0.36 fewer goals than with its usual starter (≈36 weighted starts)
Elo ratingsTOR +104 EloTOR 64.6%
Market-implied ratingsTOR 59.4%Team strength as past closing lines priced it, same game context
Pre-line forecastTOR 60.4%20% Elo, 80% market-implied (log-odds blend)
ForecastTOR 60.7%Follows the market (vig removed): in testing, adding the ratings made it less accurate

Tale of the tape

Last season (2024-25) coming into the game, regular season, each number with its league rank (the longer the bar, the higher). Home and road: the host's record at home against the visitor's on the road. Overtime and shootout losses count as losses in these records. Opponent Elo: how strong the teams each has played are, 1st the toughest. Shot share is a team's share of the shots on goal in its games. PDO adds shooting and save percentages: far from 100 tends to even out.

Try another venue →
Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs compared, with each team's league rank
MTLStatTOR
17th of 323.0Goals scored3.39th of 32
23rd of 323.2Goals allowed2.88th of 32
22nd of 32−0.2Margin+0.58th of 32
29th of 3246.8%Shot share48.9%23rd of 32
23rd of 3289.6%Save percentage91.2%3rd of 32
3rd of 327–3Last 109–11st of 32
18th of 3217–24Road vs home27–147th of 32
5th of 321502Opponent Elo150020th of 32
23rd of 321481Elo rating15375th of 32

Rating history

Each team's Elo over the last two seasons. Hover or drag to compare on any date.

CanadiensMaple Leafs
1450150015501600league averageNovFebMayAugNov

Against the line

How each team has done against the closing spread and total, coming into this game.

Last season (2024-25)MTLTOR
Puck line50–3748–47
Last 105–56–4
Favorite4–1025–37
Underdog46–2723–10
Overs–unders46–4149–46
Overs–unders, last 105–57–3

Against each game's closing line. Books set every line knowing these records: across 3,901 past games, the team with the better record against the spread so far that season covered 51.2%, short of the 52.4% a standard −110 bet needs, and over/under streaks held 48.0% of the time. They describe the past.

Head to head

MTL 1–6 TOR in their last 7 meetings; the forecast called 4 of 7.