Colorado Avalanche vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Prediction, NHL Odds
The Toronto Maple Leafs play one of their biggest home games of the season on Sunday afternoon as they welcome the league-best Colorado Avalanche, who are -175 favourites on the NHL odds with a total of 6.5 goals.
Avalanche vs. Maple Leafs NHL Betting Odds
The NHL record for most wins in a season and most points is held by the 2022-23 Boston Bruins with 65 and 135, respectively, although it did them no good in the Stanley Cup playoffs as the B’s were swept in the first round by Florida.
For a while there, it looked like the 2025-26 Colorado Avalanche might break those records, but they have slowed down a bit and that’s now unlikely. But the Avs do lead the NHL by far in points with 77 and are -2500 favourites to win the Presidents’ Trophy and +270 leaders to win the Stanley Cup. Star forward Nathan MacKinnon, from Halifax, leads the NHL with 38 goals and 87 points and is the -360 favourite for the Hart Trophy, and -195 for the Rocket Richard Trophy. MacKinnon won the Hart in the 2023-24 campaign but has never led the league in goals.
Toronto tries for the season sweep, which maybe no other team will be able to claim against Colorado, as it was a 4-3 OT upset winner in Denver on Jan. 12. William Nylander won it at 3:59 of overtime to snap the Avalanche’s 17-game home winning streak. Nylander took a pass from Oliver Ekman-Larsson and lined it past third-string goalie Trent Miner. Joseph Woll turned back 31 shots for the Leafs.
The teams have split the past 10 meetings overall, and the over-under is 7-3.
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche have looked mortal of late and were clobbered 7-3 at home by Philadelphia on Friday, their fourth loss in the past five. It was just Colorado’s second regulation home loss of the season.
The Flyers became only the third team to have a multi-goal lead in Colorado. Nathan MacKinnon had two assists to retake the NHL points lead. It was his fourth multi-point game in the past seven.
Goalie Mackenzie Blackwood allowed six goals on 19 shots in his second game since returning from a lower-body injury. It should be Blackwood again with Scott Wedgewood, who has been fabulous, away from the team after his wife gave birth to their second child Thursday.
Forward Gabriel Landeskog (22 points) is out with an upper-body injury. Fellow forward Ross Colton (20 points) and blueliner Devon Toews (13 points) both missed Friday and are day-to-day. Colorado is 6-2 in its past eight in Toronto.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto comes off a 6-3 home loss to Vegas on Friday, the Leafs’ third straight defeat and fifth in six games. That also dropped their season goal differential to minus-3, which is not the sign of a playoff team.
John Tavares had one of the goals early in the second and is now one goal from his 16th season with 20 or more. The only active players with as many campaigns are Alex Ovechkin (21), Sidney Crosby (18), Patrick Kane (17) and Steven Stamkos (16).
Anthony Stolarz returned from a long injury absence and clearly was rusty. It will be Joseph Woll on Sunday, and he’s 7-1-2 at home with a 2.63 GAA and .921 SV.
Forward William Nylander skated before Saturday’s practice, but there still is no timetable for the team’s leading scorer to return from injured reserve. The over is 6-0 in the Leafs’ past six vs. the Western Conference.
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