One of the more premier showdowns on the NHL Tuesday slate involves a battle between a pair of squads looking for an early season upper-hand as the Toronto Maple Leafs travel south to take on the Dallas Stars. Join us for our NHL odds series where our Maple Leafs-Stars prediction and pick will be revealed for all to see.
Fresh off of seeing their five-game winning streak snapped in a gut-wrenching 4-3 overtime loss to Tampa Bay, the Maple Leafs will look to bounce back quickly to get back in the winning column. As it stands, Toronto has compiled a 15-5-6 record that includes a 7-3-3 mark away from their home building.
Like Toronto, Dallas has also experienced early-season success with an impressive 14-6-5 record that currently has them sitting on top of the Central Division. With some unfinished business to attend to from last season’s shortcomings, the Stars are no joke through the teams’ first 25 games played.
Here are the Maple Leafs-Stars NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Maple Leafs-Stars Odds
Toronto Maple Leafs: +1.5 (-260)
Dallas Stars: -1.5 (+205)
Over: 6.5 (-104)
Under: 6.5 (-118)
Why The Maple Leafs Could Cover The Spread
Although Toronto doesn’t seem like a team to be trusted in covering the spread with a 10-16 record ATS, there is no denying how talented this squad can be when they are playing to the best of their abilities. Entering play as +1.5 goal underdogs in the Lone Star State, there are many reasons why the Maple Leafs can find a way to cover and get the job done tonight.
For starters, the most lethal part of Toronto’s game happens to fall on the shoulders of their right-winger who is hotter than the surface of the sun in Mitchell Marner. Racking up points at an absurd rate, Marner has certainly left his mark with his 19-game-point streak. In fact, no other player in Maple Leafs history has had such a prolonged point streak and he will no doubt have a tremendous chance to keep it going against a Stars squad that is surrendering 2.80 goals per contest. Not only is Marner finding ways to get his teammates involved, but he has also scored in five-straight games and doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.
Not to mention, but outside of Marner’s play that has put the entire city of Toronto within a frenzy, the Maple Leafs have excelled in limiting the opposition’s chances at scoring quite considerably. A big reason for this has been the superb play of net-minder Ilya Samsonov. Ranking second in goals against at 2.09 and boasting the fourth-best save percentage with a .924 save percentage, Samsonov has arguably been Toronto’s recipe for success. Having allowed more than two goals only twice all season long, the 25-year-old Toronto goalie will be a tough draw for Dallas in their attempt to get things going offensively.
Why The Stars Could Cover The Spread
Even though Dallas has lost three of their previous five matchups, there is reason to believe that the Stars can handle their business on Tuesday in large part due to an offense that has scored at least four goals in three-consecutive contests. Despite the goaltending/defense not always being up to snuff over that span, it has been some unlikely heroes inside the Dallas locker room that have shown flashiness and skill. With that being said, keep your eyes peeled on center Roope Hintz and how he performs after recording a hat-trick versus the Wild. On paper, Hintz also leads the club with 19 assists and would no question do the team wonder if he can continue to be steady and reliable at the center position.
The biggest concern for Dallas entering play will be whether or not the defense can catch up with an offense that is beginning to find their rhythm. Although they do possess one of the finer goalies that the league has to offer in Jake Oettinger, the 23-year-old goaltender has been hit with the inconsistency bug in his last few showings. Against the Wild, Oettinger allowed four goals in the loss, but in his previous start, he shut out the Ducks and saved all 31 shots that came his way. With stats that rank near the top ten of goalies, Dallas should not be overly concerned about their young superstar goalie’s ability to come up clutch when it matters most.
Final Maple Leafs-Stars Prediction & Pick
Time to pop some popcorn, because this one should be as entertaining as it gets! If you are contemplating putting a few bucks down on the spread, it would be wise to side with the Maple Leafs’ ability to keep this one close as +1.5 goal underdogs.
Final Maple Leafs-Stars Prediction & Pick: Maple Leafs +1.5 (-260)
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