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Free NHL Pick: Maple Leafs vs. Senators Betting Lines & Preview

Toronto vs Ottawa Pick

NHL Betting action sees the Toronto Maple Leafs taking on the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday January 21st at Canadian Tire Centre. Cappers Picks provides free NHL handicapping tips all season long.

For Ontario’s two professional hockey clubs, the “wheels have come off the 18-wheeler and it’s gone off the cliff” as former Leafs GM Brian Burke so succinctly put it.

NHL Predictions

Toronto vs Ottawa
Date/Time: Wednesday, Jan. 21 2015, 7:00 pm EST
Venue: Canadian Tire Centre, Kanata ON
Broadcast: Sportsnet (CAN)
Toronto +145, Ottawa -115
Over/Under: 5.5
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It hasn’t been pretty in the Battle of Ontario for some years, but visiting Toronto is looking for a measure of respect against a rival it has dominated recently.

Since head coach Randy Carlyle was fired a couple of weeks ago, the Maple Leafs have torpedoed themselves out of the Eastern Conference playoff race.

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On a four-game Western road trip, Toronto managed only two goals and were scored on 12 times. They returned from the road to lose 4-1 against lowly Carolina on Monday night. If current play is any indication, it seems like the Leafs have pretty much surrendered the 2014-15 campaign.

As miserable as it’s been for Leafs fans, it hasn’t been much better in the nation’s capital. The Sens bring a record of 18-18-9 to the contest, one spot below Toronto in the Atlantic division.

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Youngster Mike Hoffman has been revelatory for Ottawa, big-money winger Bobby Ryan is gifted and D-man Erik Karlsson is a supreme quarterback of the team and smooth skater, but other than that there isn’t anything to be excited about in Ottawa.

For a while, Ottawa has been reloading its team with AHL pieces, but with the exception of Hoffman, none of them seem to be impact players.

Former Senators head coach Paul MacLean was also fired this season, with former Ontario Hockey League tactician Dave Cameron brought in to replace him. The early returns have been mixed at best.

In recent history, Toronto has had Ottawa’s number, with offensive stars Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk racking up the points versus the Senators. This, however, was before interim coach Peter Horacek started preaching “defensive hockey” – which so far has been code for “let the scoring dry up altogether and continue to get scored on with regularity”.

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The fight looks completely vanished from the road team, and team President Brendan Shanahan would likely tell you that it’s for the best for this club. Toronto needs to trade whatever stars it can and stockpile assets, while performing well in the entry draft for a few consecutive years.

Until that happens, it’ll continue to be griping in Leafs Nation. The trade winds will continue to swirl with intensity.

4* Free NHL Play: Ottawa 3, Toronto 2 (OT)

While Wednesday night’s matchup has become more symbolic than having any tangible impact on the standings, look for the Senators to take care of business against a listless and lifeless visiting Maple Leafs.

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By James Hayes

James has been naming every player on the EA Sports video game rosters for half a decade now, he’s finally putting his knowledge to better use writing for us here at CappersPicks.com. Your comments are welcome below…Give Us Your Take!