Washington Capitals vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Prediction, NHL Odds
The Toronto Maple Leafs will look to put Tuesday’s shocking 5-2 loss to Buffalo behind them when they host the Washington Capitals on Thursday. The Capitals were also last in action on Tuesday, routing Philadelphia 9-2 for the team’s fourth straight win.
Toronto is a -168 favourite to win on the NHL odds, with a total of 6.5.
Capitals vs. Maple Leafs NHL Betting Odds
This is the second of three regular season meetings between the teams. They split the two previous games, with the road team winning each contest. It’s also worth noting the Capitals have one of the best road records in the NHL this year, 22-7-5, and they’ve won five of their last six games in Toronto. The total has gone Over in the last three head-to-heads between these teams. The regular season series concludes April 24 in Washington.
Washington has been tearing through the Eastern Conference with wins in 10 of their last 11 games against East opponents. They’re 38-35 against the spread this season, including a healthy 24-10 ATS on the road. This could be a high scoring games as the total has gone Over in the Capitals’ last seven road games and 14 of their last 17 overall.
Toronto comfortably holds second place in the Atlantic Division and come into Thursday with a 7-1-1 record over their last nine games. They’ve struggled to cover the spread, however, going 32-41 ATS overall and 15-21 ATS at home. Like Washington, the Maple Leafs have also trended toward high scoring games, with the total going Over in six of Toronto’s last eight games.
Washington Capitals
This is the first of a five-game road trip for the Capitals following their blowout win over the Flyers. Eight different scorers struck for Washington on Tuesday, including Lars Eller, who had two goals, as well as Alex Ovechkin, T.J. Oshie, Martin Fehervary, Conor Sheary, Matt Irwin, Garnet Hathaway and Johan Larsson. Ilya Samsonov made 19 saves in net. It was Ovechkin’s fourth straight game with a goal, bringing him to 46 on the season, fourth-most in the NHL. The longtime captain leads the Caps with 85 points and looks well on his way to a ninth career 50-goal season.
Washington still has a lot to play for as they begin a crucial road trip. The Capitals trail Pittsburgh by three points for third place in the Metropolitan Division and they have two games in-hand on the Pens. That third spot is crucial as it would mean a much more favourable matchup against Carolina or New York in the first round of the playoffs, rather than crossing over to the Atlantic to face Florida.
There’s been no word on Washington’s goalie for Thursday, but head coach Peter Laviolette is expected to split starts fairly evenly between Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek before announcing a starter for the playoffs. Samsonov is 22-9-4, with a 2.93 goals-against average and .899 save percentage. Vanecek is 18-11-5 with a 2.58 GAA and .912 SV.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Maple Leafs fans are hoping Tuesday’s home loss to Buffalo was a freak event. Toronto dropped three of four games against the Sabres this season, a worrying sign when you look back to last year’s playoff loss collapse against a Montreal team many people expected the Leafs to beat. Timothy Liljegren and Alexander Kerfoot were the only Toronto scorers on Tuesday, while Erik Kallgren allowed four goals on 27 shots. Auston Matthews, who leads the Maple Leafs with 99 points and leads the NHL with 58 goals, had his 16-game point streak snapped. Mitch Marner, who is second on the team with 90 points (31G, 59A), had a 13-game point streak ended.
Toronto has already clinched a playoff spot, so the focus now is on securing home ice advantage. They have a four-point cushion over Tampa Bay for second in the Atlantic, but it’s losses against weaker opponents like Buffalo that could cost the Leafs home ice in what will be a tough first round playoff matchup. If the playoffs started today, Toronto would face the two-time reigning Stanley Cup champion Lightning.
There’s been no official update on who will start in net between Kallgren and Jack Campbell, but it’s been a week since Campbell’s last start, so he’ll likely get the nod as the Leafs try to gear him up for the playoffs. Campbell is 27-9-5 this season, with a 2.72 GAA and .912 SV. Kallgren is 5-3-1 with a 2.93 GAA and .899 SV.
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