NHL Odds, Preview, Prediction: Maple Leafs vs. Flames
Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images. Pictured: Toronto Maple Leafs players Michael Bunting and Auston Matthews
- The Maple Leafs continue their road trip with a game against the Flames on Thursday night.
- Toronto will be playing the second leg of a back-to-back, while Calgary will be looking to snap a three-game skid.
- Jonny Lazarus details his best bet below.
Maple Leafs vs. Flames Odds
| Maple Leafs Odds | +104 |
| Flames Odds | -125 |
| Over/Under | 6.5 (-124/+100) |
| Time | 9 p.m. ET |
| TV | TVAS |
The Toronto Maple Leafs will be playing the second half of a back-to-back after suffering a tough loss Wednesday. This team has made a ton of changes in the past week and it seems like they are still trying to get comfortable with all the new acquisitions.
The Calgary Flames are coming off one of the worst losses we've seen this NHL season, falling 4-3 in overtime after dominating for 60 minutes. The Flames need to play with desperation as they are on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff picture.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs went up against a very talented Edmonton Oilers team on Wednesday. Tonight, Toronto faces a much different opponent in the Calgary Flames, who have lost four of their past five games.
The Leafs have the Tampa Bay Lightning breathing down their necks and trying to catch them for the second spot in the Atlantic Division, so these points are huge.
The Leafs have won three of their past five games and the top six have been unbelievable. Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares have been on absolute fire lately. Marner has tallied a goal and eight assists in his past five games and, in the same span, Nylander has added three goals and five assists and Tavares has three goals and three assists.
Wednesday's outcome wasn't ideal as Toronto allowed five goals, but the Leafs goaltending has been absolutely outstanding as of late. Ilya Samsonov started Wednesday and it's unlikely he'll get the latter half of a back-to-back, but I don't want to assume because he has started the past five games.
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames appear to be in shambles and have had an extremely disappointing season thus far. The Flames are exactly what you would call "mid" — they are 16th in the league in scoring and 15th in team defense.
They are averaging 3.15 goals per game, but are allowing 3.08 goals. Calgary is 3-4-3 in its past 10 games and hasn't been able to find any consistency this season.
Jacob Markstrom and Dan Vladar have been unreliable in the blue paint as they both have save percentages below .900. Markstrom is skating to a .887 save percentage and Vladar has a .895 save percentage.
In their most recent game, Calgary tallied 57 shots on goal, but was only able to score three times against the Boston Bruins.
The Flames just don't seem to have it right now.
Maple Leafs vs. Flames Pick
This will be the third meeting of the season between these teams, who split the first two matchups.
Toronto is playing much better hockey than Calgary as the Leafs have gone 7-3 in their past 10 games. The Leafs, unlike the Flames, are also getting some key contributions from their best players.
The Leafs have the much better goaltending, offense and special teams. They have the edge in essentially every aspect and I love the Leafs to bounce back and get in the win column.
Pick: Maple Leafs Moneyline |
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