Calgary Flames vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Prediction, NHL Odds
A day after heading in opposite directions at the trade deadline, Calgary and Toronto will go toe-to-toe for the final time in the regular season. The Flames were sellers and the Leafs were buyers at the deadline, but Calgary insists they’re still in it to win it. They might be forced to prove that against David Rittich, the goalie they sent to Toronto on Sunday.
The Leafs are -193 favourites to win on the NHL odds with a total of 5.5.
Flames vs. Maple Leafs Betting Analysis
Toronto may have taken six of the eight games between these teams this season, but the series has been closer than it looks. Seven of the eight games have been decided by two or fewer goals, while the biggest margin of victory was a 3-0 Calgary win on Feb. 22. Wondering who picked up the shutout? You already know it was Rittch, the Leafs’ newest goalie.
Even new coach Darryl Sutter hasn’t been enough to stop Calgary’s downward spiral. They’ve lost eight of their last 10 games and fallen eight points behind Montreal for the final playoff spot in the North. They haven’t been much better at paying bettors as they’re 17-24 against the spread. Seven of the last eight games between these teams in Calgary have gone Under.
There seems to be no real answer for Toronto this season. They’ve won eight of their last 10 games overall, including four of their last five home games. They’re 15-27 ATS and they’ve covered in seven of 22 home games.
Calgary Flames
The Flames didn’t look much like trade deadline sellers when they rode a four-goal second period to a 5-0 win over Edmonton on Saturday. Going against the top two scorers in the NHL, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, Calgary netminder Jacob Markstrom had to do surprisingly little work to earn his third shutout of the season. Markstrom made 17 saves in the win to bring his record to 13-14-2. He has a 2.91 goals-against average and .901 save percentage. With Rittich shipped off to Toronto, Markstrom should see almost every start for the rest of the season.
Calgary’s leading scorer Elias Lindholm added to his point total with a goal on Saturday. He has 34 points (10G, 24A) through 41 games. Johnny Gaudreau also added to his point total. Gaudreau put up a goal and an assist against the Oilers and currently leads Calgary with 14 goals.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto was one of the busiest teams leading up to the trade deadline, but none of their new acquisitions were available to play Monday, leading to a 4-2 loss in Montreal. Jack Campbell’s NHL-record streak of 11 wins to start the season is finally over after his 21-save effort wasn’t enough to get the W against the Habs. It was Campbell’s first loss since March 6, 2020. He’s now 11-1-0 with a 1.98 GAA and .930 SV. After Toronto picked up Rittich at the deadline to bolster their goaltending depth, questions surrounding Frederik Andersen’s health have only intensified. For now at least, it seems like this is Campbell’s net to lose.
Auston Matthews added his NHL-leading 32nd goal of the season and is now seven goals ahead of the next closest player, Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen. Matthews has eight goals over his last five games and is tied for the team lead in points with Mitch Marner, at 53 apiece. Marner has 14 goals and 39 assists, while Matthews has 32 goals and 21 assists. They’re both tied for fourth in NHL scoring. Coach Sheldon Keefe wouldn’t comment on which goalie he would start on Tuesday. As Campbell has started four straight games, including last night, he’ll likely get the night off. It should be down to Michael Hutchinson or Rittich. Who wouldn’t want to see Rittich play his first game with Toronto against the team that shipped him out of town?
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