NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Maple Leafs vs Coyotes (Wednesday, February 21)
(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
Pictured: Auston Matthews
Maple Leafs vs. Coyotes Odds
| Maple Leafs Odds | -210 |
| Coyotes Odds | +172 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 -120o / -102u |
Here's everything you need to know about the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday, February 21 – our expert NHL prediction and pick.
Arizona is in free fall, while Toronto is one of the NHL's hottest teams. Will those trends continue on Wednesday?
Let's preview the upcoming contest and offer a Maple Leafs vs. Coyotes prediction.
Morgan Rielly, Toronto's top defenseman, is set to miss his fifth and final game on Wednesday due to a suspension for cross-checking Ottawa's Ridly Greig on Feb. 10. Toronto has also been without John Tavares, who missed two of the past four contests, and Mitchell Marner, who missed one of those games as well. But somehow, the Maple Leafs have won four games in a row.
How? It's been a team effort to an extent, but the simple answer is Bobby McMann and Auston Matthews.
Matthews is the best goal scorer of his generation, and when he's hot, he can carry the Leafs. He scored back-to-back hat tricks on Thursday and Saturday and has racked up seven goals and 10 points over his past three contests. Through 53 games this year, he has 49 goals and 73 points.
McMann is no Matthews. The 27-year-old forward didn't even break into the NHL until last year and has spent most of this season as a fourth-liner. However, when the Leafs were without Tavares and Marner on Feb. 13 against the St. Louis Blues, McMann was given a bigger role and responded with a hat trick. This was just the start of a hot stretch in which the Alberta native has provided six goals and seven points across six contests. He has earned a role on the second line, and while he might not remain an offensive factor going forward, he is providing the Leafs with some valuable depth scoring right now.
That kind of secondary scoring is something Toronto has lacked for much of the season. Matthews, Marner and William Nylander have done their part, each scoring over 20 goals and at least 65 points. Tavares has taken a step back, but with 15 goals and 40 points across 52 outings, he's still a major threat. However, beyond those four, no other Leafs forward has reached the 30-point mark or has provided more than 10 goals. If McMann can become a reliable contributor after the dust settles on his hot streak, that will be a significant development for Toronto.
Goaltending has also been a problem at times for the Leafs. Joseph Woll has been out since Dec. 7, while Ilya Samsonov and Martin Jones have endured some major cold stretches. However, Samsonov, who is likely to start on Wednesday, has been phenomenal recently, posting a 7-1-0 record, a 1.99 GAA and a .921 SV% over his past eight appearances.
Even if Toronto's goaltending was a concern, Arizona isn't a team that could take advantage of it. The Coyotes are tied for 25th in the NHL with 2.87 goals per game, lacking the necessary horses up front. Clayton Keller has totaled 22 goals and 51 points, but no other player is close to the 40-point plateau, and only one other has hit 20 goals (Lawson Crouse).
The Coyotes' goaltending has been even worse, though. Connor Ingram is dealing with an undisclosed injury, so he's unlikely to start Wednesday. Instead, Karel Vejmelka should get the nod despite allowing 14 goals on 109 shots (.872 SV%) over his last four outings. He owns a porous 6-14-2 record, a 3.51 GAA and a .893 SV% through 25 contests this year. The alternative, though, would be Matt Villalta, who stopped just 20 of 25 shots in a 6-3 loss to Edmonton in his first NHL start on Monday.
There was a time when Arizona had playoff aspirations, but the Coyotes have now lost their last 10 games, cratering their record to 23-28-4. Perhaps the only thing they have going for them is the reality that all losing streaks end eventually. If they drop this game against Toronto, their drought would be tied for the 23rd-worst losing streak of all time and would set the record for the worst skid in franchise history.
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Maple Leafs vs. Coyotes
Betting Pick & Prediction
Toronto is unsurprisingly an overwhelming favorite. If you're betting on this game, the only fear is that Toronto ends up playing down to its opponent. The Maple Leafs have lost both of their contests against the Chicago Blackhawks this season, and they are 1-3-0 versus the Ottawa Senators and 1-0-2 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, so they do have a bit of a reputation for losing games they should win.
With that said, the Maple Leafs earned a decisive 9-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday, and they outscored the Sharks 11-2 in their two wins over them.
Given how much of a mismatch this should be, I feel comfortable recommending Toronto on the puck line.
Pick: Maple Leafs Puck Line (+116 at FanDuel | Play to +105)
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