Philadelphia Flyers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Prediction, NHL Odds
The Maple Leafs return home after scoring just nine total goals in four straight road losses, capped by Sunday’s 4-3 overtime loss in Anaheim. The Flyers have also struggled since opening their campaign on a 3-0-0 run, with Monday’s 1-0 loss to the New York Rangers marking their fourth defeat in six outings.
The Maple Leafs have faded to -305 home favourites while garnering the support of just 54 per cent of sports bettors. Conversely, the Flyers have vaulted to +251 underdogs after opening as a distant +279 bet. With both these teams struggling to score, the total has dipped to 6.5 since opening at 7.0, with the UNDER commanding 68 per cent of the betting action.
Flyers vs. Maple Leafs NHL Betting Odds
Tuesday night’s matchup at Scotiabank Arena marks the first of three regular season meetings between these long-time Eastern Conference rivals. The Leafs claimed the win in all three dates with Philadelphia last season, outpacing the Flyers by multiple goals in each, and claiming victory by an overall 14-5 margin.
Toronto has also scored an average of 4.57 goals per game during a 5-2 straight up run in head-to-head action. With these clubs combining to score 7.0 or more goals in six of their past eight contests, the OVER has gone 5-2-1 over that stretch. But despite the Maple Leafs’ steady offensive production when facing Philly on home ice, the UNDER has gone 2-1-2 in their past five dates at Scotiabank Arena.
Philadelphia Flyers
Last-place finishers in the Metropolitan Division standings last season, the Flyers have shown signs of progress in the early going of the new season. Philly’s success has been powered by sensational goaltending that has lifted the club to third overall in the league with a team goals against average of 2.44. Carter Hart has particularly impressed while going 5-0-2 over his first seven appearances, capped by a 35-save performance in Monday’s overtime loss to the rangers.
However, with the Flyers playing on back-to-back nights, backup Felix Sandstrom is expected to get the call on Tuesday. Sandstrom has produced mixed results while losing his first two starts. The 25-year-old stopped 22 of the 24 shots he faced when San Jose visited Philadelphia in his last outing 10 days again, but wilted in the face of a 35-shot onslaught while leading the team to a 4-3 loss in Florida on October 19 that marked his fourth loss in as many career NHL road games. While the Flyers have picked up at least a point in seven of nine outings, they have scored just seven total goals during their current 1-1-2 run, and nine goals while going 2-1-1 on the road.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Leafs’ early-season nightmare continued on Sunday with a third-period meltdown on their way to a shocking 4-3 overtime loss in Anaheim. Now sitting just two points out of the Atlantic Division basement with 10 games in the books, the pressure on this team is at its highest since general manager Kyle Dubas took over the reins in 2018. Indeed, this club faces massive issues in every department. Up front, the superstar quartet of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares have failed to live up to expectations, combining to score just five total goals at equal strength, and just two during the team’s four- game slide.
Ilya Samsonov has been steady in his newfound role as starting goaltender, going 4-2-0 through six starts. And while Samsonov was victimized for seven total goals while getting tagged with two of the team’s four recent defeats, he has also been forced to stand alone in the absence of a steady defence in front of him. This marks the third time in four seasons the Leafs have stumbled out of the gate. And considering their sloppy form out west, it is tough to back them as they get set to face the music in front of surly fans in what will likely be an ugly homecoming on Tuesday night.
PHI
TOR