NSH vs. TOR Pick: NSH ML

Toronto will get most of the attention tonight. The Leafs are at home, they’ve got the bigger names, and the market has them favored. But Nashville has enough experience, enough scoring and enough in net to make this a much tighter game than the price suggests. We’re taking the Predators on the moneyline at +130.

The first thing Nashville needs is a steady night from Juuse Saros. He doesn’t have to steal the game, but he does have to keep Toronto from turning one good stretch into a three-goal avalanche. If Saros can settle things down early, the Predators have enough veteran offense to make the rest interesting.

That’s where Filip Forsberg, Steven Stamkos, Ryan O’Reilly and Jonathan Marchessault come in. Nashville doesn’t need to own the puck all night. It needs to be dangerous when the chances are there, and this group has made a career out of finishing those kinds of opportunities. Roman Josi gives them another weapon from the back end, especially if the game opens up.

Toronto can absolutely punish mistakes, so Nashville can’t spend the night chasing the play or handing the Leafs extra possessions. But the Leafs haven’t exactly looked untouchable to start the season, and this feels like the kind of game where the favorite has to work harder than the line suggests.

At +130, we’re willing to take that shot. Nashville has the goaltending and enough veteran firepower to hang around, and if this game is close entering the third, we’ll take our chances with the Predators at plus money.

SLS Daily Pick: Nashville Predators ML (+130). Playable at +120 or better.