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Chicago Blackhawks vs. Toronto Maple Leafs: NHL Odds, Prediction

  • Ricky Rothstein's Author profile. Ricky Rothstein

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The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Chicago Blackhawks have been red-hot to start the season – especially at the offensive end of the ice. The two will meet in Toronto on Monday night.

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Date: Monday, October 9th, 2017 – 7:00 PM ET
Location: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
NHL Odds: Toronto -130

NHL Odds and Betting Analysis

The Blackhawks have dominated the Maple Leafs recently, winning eight of their last ten meetings. Half of those meetings have gone over the posted total and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Monday’s matchup did as well. Both teams have scored 15 goals in their first two games of the season, so the potential is there for an offensive firefight.

Chicago Blackhawks

This will be the first road game of the season for the Blackhawks, who trounced the defending Stanley Cup champions from Pittsburgh by a score of 10-1 in their season opener. They followed it up with a 5-1 win over Columbus. Patrick Kane has four goals and a pair of assists to start the season. Ryan Hartman also has six points with a goal and five assists. As always, the defensive pairing of Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are leading the way on the blue line, although Jan Rutta and Gustav Forsling have also been very good.

It is still very early in the season but the Blackhawks might have actually needed to be eliminated in the first round of last season’s playoffs by Nashville, who swept them. It’s lit a fire under them. The core of the Blackhawks’ team has played a lot of hockey in the last few years, so any time off was probably good for them. They’ve looked really crisp and focused to start the season.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Maple Leafs opened up their season with a 7-2 thrashing of Winnipeg on the road and then went home to beat the New York Rangers by a score of 8-5. Nazem Kadri (two goals, two assists) and Auston Matthews (one goal, three assists) lead the way, but the Maple Leafs have 11 players that have two points or more. That kind of depth can destroy many teams.

However, the Maple Leafs are still a little shaky on the defensive end, allowing seven goals through the first two games. Frederik Andersen has a save percentage of .903, which isn’t bad, but it needs to be better. The defense also has to improve in front of him. They could really get exposed in this one by a Blackhawks offense that is clicking. The Leafs are living up to the hype of playing exciting hockey and Chicago’s experience should be a good test for them.

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Prediction:

Chicago Blackhawks 5-4