Carolina Hurricanes vs. Toronto Maple Leafs: NHL Odds, Prediction

The Carolina Hurricanes have had some success in Canada this season with two wins in three games. They make their first trip of 2017-18 to Toronto on Thursday night, with the Leafs as solid betting favourites on the NHL odds.

Carolina Hurricanes vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

When: Thursday, 7 p.m. ET
Where: Air Canada Centre
Moneylines: Leafs -155, Flames +140 (6)

NHL Odds and Betting Analysis

First of three meetings between the Hurricanes and Maple Leafs. Toronto heads to North Carolina on Nov. 24, and the Hurricanes are back at Air Canada Centre on Dec. 19. That latter game is an unusual 2 p.m. start time on a Tuesday as it commemorates 100 years since the Toronto Arenas played the first game in franchise history on Dec. 19, 1917.

Toronto was 2-1 in this series last season but lost the lone home game, 2-1. The Leafs won 4-0 and 3-2 in a shootout in Raleigh. Defenceman Jake Gardner led Toronto with five points (2G, 3A) in the series. Auston Matthews had just a goal. Frederik Andersen was 1-1 with a 1.99 goals-against average and .940 save percentage. Curtis McElhinney won the 4-0 game. Elias Lindholm led Carolina with two points (both assists). Cam Ward was 1-1-1 with a 2.80 GAA and .895 save percentage.

The road team has won five of the past six in this series, and the under is 4-0 in the previous four in Toronto.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes (3-3-1) lost to the best team in hockey Tuesday night, 5-1 at home to Tampa Bay. Jaccob Slavin had the lone Carolina goal early in the third period to make it 2-1, but the Lightning scored three goals in the final 2:33, two on an empty net, to ruin it for bettors who had taken the under 5.5 goals. Scott Darling made 24 saves for the Hurricanes. This writer has an inkling he might not play in Toronto as Darling has started the past three in net and not been sharp the previous two. So it could be Ward, who won his only start thus far, 5-3 in Edmonton on Oct. 17.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs (7-2-0) trail only Atlantic Division rival Tampa Bay in points scored among Eastern Conference teams and continue to lead the NHL in scoring at 4.4 goals per game. Toronto comes off a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Monday in what could have been a Stanley Cup Finals preview with the Kings off to a very strong start of their own and leading the Pacific Division.

Mitch Marner was the game’s No. 1 star with two assists from the fourth line. Matt Martin (first goal of season), Tyler Bozak (2) and Patrick Marleau (4) had the Leafs’ goals. Andersen made 36 saves. Toronto has won at least seven of its first nine games for the first time in 24 years. Monday was the season debut of defenceman Roman Polak, who signed a one-year deal with the Leafs on Sunday. He played 12:13 and had an assist with two penalty minutes.  Polak had had four goals and seven assists in 75 games with the team last season.

Hurricanes at Leafs Prediction

Toronto 4, Carolina 2.