Washington Capitals vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Prediction, NHL Odds
The Maple Leafs maintained their recent dominance on home ice with Tuesday’s 3-2 victory over Nashville that marked their ninth win in 10 home games and 10th victory in their past 12 overall. The Capitals embark on a three-game road trip after dropping a 2-1 decision to the visiting San Jose Sharks on Monday night but have won seven straight away from home ice at Capital One Arena.
The Maple Leafs get set to hit the ice as -140 favourites on the Friday NHL odds. The Capitals lag as +120 underdogs and the total is listed at 6.0.
Capitals vs. Maple Leafs NHL Betting Odds
Friday night’s matchup wraps up the two-game season series between these Eastern Conference rivals. The Leafs escaped Washington with a 4-3 win back on November 13 to improve to 9-1-0 in their past 10 dates with the Capitals including four straight home victories. Toronto has claimed victory by multi-goal margins six times over that stretch and have held the Caps to just a single goal three times while winning their past five meetings. With the Washington sputtering, these clubs have produced uneven results in totals betting, with the OVER holding a slight 5-3-2 edge of their past 10 dates. Sports bettors taking the OVER when the Capitals hit the road have enjoyed a 6-1-1 run, but it is the UNDER that has paid out nine times during the Leafs’ impressive 9-1-0 run at home.
Washington Capitals
After averaging five goals per game during their preceding four-game win streak, the Capitals offence stalled in Monday night’s 2-1 overtime loss to San Jose. Indeed, it has been either feast or famine for the Washington attack, which has scored 5.40 goals per game over their past 15 victories but just 1.75 goals per game in their eight losses to date this season. The statistical delta between the club’s netminders, with Logan Thompson compiling a .927 save percentage and allowing just 2.22 goals per game while going 6-1-2 since the beginning of November while Charlie Lindgren has racked up a 3.19 goals against average and .899 save percentage so far this month and was lit up for 11 total goals while backstop the Caps in their past two road contests. The Caps’ top shooters have also struggled. In addition to the continued absence of injured Alex Ovechkin, Dylan Strome is now riding a two-game pointless streak and Connor McMichael scoring just twice in nine games.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Leafs have turned in impressive performances at both ends of the ice during an impressive 10-2-0 run. With both Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz standing tall in the crease, the Buds have limited opponents to two or fewer goals seven times over that stretch and now rank second in the NHL with a team goals against average of 2.52. Up front, Auston Matthews has quickly returned to form. The Leafs captain potted a pair of goals to spark a third-period rally in Tuesday’s win over the Predators and has now potted three markers and contributed three helpers over the past four games. It was also another huge night for Mitch Marner, who set up all three Toronto goals on Tuesday has piled up 24 total points in 14 games since the start of November and is worth a look on the Friday NHL props as a +155 bet to record his 11th multi-point performance in 13 games.
