Chicago Blackhawks vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Prediction, NHL Odds
Toronto is a -325 favourite to win on the NHL odds. Toronto’s Auston Matthews would make history with a hat trick.
Blackhawks vs. Maple Leafs NHL Betting Odds
The Chicago Blackhawks planned on being terrible last season. They, like a few other teams, were tanking for mega-prospect Connor Bedard, and it worked as the Hawks won the draft lottery and took the North Vancouver native at No. 1 overall. Bedard has lived up to the billing so far, but the Hawks probably are a year away at least from being moderately good as they are still in a full-blown rebuild. Chicago gathered a few veterans in the offseason both to mentor Bedard but also flip at the trade deadline as the team did last season.
You may remember that in July 2022, the Leafs sent goaltender Petr Mrazek and their 2022 first-round draft choice to Chicago for the Blackhawks’ 2022 second-round selection. With that pick, which turned out to be No. 22 overall, the Hawks took American defenceman Sam Rinzel. He has not made it to the NHL yet and won’t anytime soon as Rinzel will play this season at the University of Minnesota in his home state. With Chicago’s second-round pick, which turned out to be No. 38 overall, the Leafs selected Canadian centre Fraser Minten, and he’s with the big club.
These teams split last season, each winning by multiple goals at home with the games only four days apart. The over is 7-1 in the past eight meetings.
Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago still has yet to play at home and won’t until Saturday. The Hawks come off a 3-2 loss in Montreal on Saturday. Tyler Johnson had both Chicago goals, while Bedard had a helper and became the 10th No. overall 1 pick with at least one point in each of his first three NHL games, following Alex Ovechkin (eight), Alexandre Daigle (seven), Sidney Crosby (six), Eric Lindros (five), Billy Harris (three), Dale McCourt (three), Mario Lemieux (three), John Tavares (three) and Nathan MacKinnon (three). One of Chicago’s other top forwards, Taylor Hall, was out after getting hurt in the opener but expects to play Monday. Always a bit tricky to know who starts in net for the Hawks, but if they are doing a true platoon, it would be 24-year-old Arvid Soderblom’s turn. He allowed two goals in Boston in a tough-luck loss last Wednesday.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto’s offence is humming so far, following a six-goal effort in a home-opening win over Montreal with seven in routing visiting Minnesota on Saturday. Auston Matthews had his second straight hat trick to become the fifth player in NHL history to score three or more goals in each of his first two games to start the season, joining Alex Ovechkin (2017-18), Cy Denneny (1917-18), Joe Malone (1917-18) and Reg Noble (1917-18). No player has ever had three straight hat tricks at any point in a season. It was Matthews’ ninth career hat trick, tying Noble for fifth on the Maple Leafs’ all-time list. William Nylander added two goals and an assist vs. the Wild. Ilya Samsonov has started the first two in net, but it will be Joseph Woll on Monday. He was 6-1-0 with a 2.16 GAA and .932 SV last year. The Leafs are 4-1 in their past five Monday games.