Carolina Hurricanes vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Prediction, NHL Odds
It’s a potential playoff preview on Thursday night when the Toronto Maple Leafs play host to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Leafs’ goaltending woes took at least a temporary break on Tuesday when they blanked the Dallas Stars 4-0 at home. Carolina, on the other hand, has been off since a 4-2 loss in Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Toronto opened as a -125 favourite to win on the NHL odds, with a total of 5.5.
Hurricanes vs. Maple Leafs NHL Betting Odds
This will be the last of three regular season meetings between the teams this year. Carolina won 4-1 at home on Oct. 25, while the Maple Leafs won 4-3 at home in overtime on Feb. 7. This is a key head-to-head series as the two teams could very likely face off in the first round of the playoffs.
The Hurricanes come into this contest with nine wins in their last 12 games. They’re 29-30 against the spread overall, including 14-16 ATS on the road. The total has gone Under in five of Carolina’s last six games.
Toronto has been a solid home team this season, going 21-7-2 at Scotiabank Arena. Covering hasn’t been their strong suit, however, as they’re 25-35 ATS overall, including 12-18 ATS at home. The total has gone Over in five of the Maple Leafs’ last six games.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Hurricanes lost for just the second time in their last nine games on Sunday. Brett Pesce and Sebastian Aho had the markers for Carolina. Antti Raanta stopped 18 of 20 shots, with Pittsburgh adding two empty-net goals. The loss wasn’t for a lack of effort. The Hurricanes outshot the Penguins in all three periods, including 20-4 in the third and 43-22 overall.
Aho has been the biggest contributor offensively this season. He leads the team in both goals (27) and points (61). Carolina ranks within the top 10 of the NHL in goals per game (3.34), shots (33.7) and power play percentage (33.7 per cent). The defence is what has really made the difference, however. The Hurricanes average a league-best 2.36 goals-against per game and they have the NHL’s top penalty kill with an 89.4 per cent success rate.
There’s been no word on who will start in net on Thursday between Raanta and Frederik Andersen, although you’ve got to think Carolina would give the nod to Andersen against his former team. Andersen has had a great first year with the Hurricanes. He has a 30-8-2 record and among goalies with at least 10 games played, he leads the NHL with a 2.06 goals-against average and he’s second with a .929 save percentage. Raanta is 10-4-2 with a 2.29 GAA and .917 SV.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Rookie goaltender Erik Kallgren is the story to watch in Toronto right now. With Jack Campbell injured and Petr Mrazek struggiling heavily, Kallgren got his first career NHL start on Tuesday, stopping all 35 shots he faced. The 25-year-old will get a chance to prove it wasn’t a fluke as he’s set to get the start again on Thursday. Leafs fans are desperately hoping Kallgren can finally stabilize the goaltending situation as Toronto has posted an NHL-worst .881 SV at even strength since Jan. 1. Before Tuesday’s win, the Leafs had given up at least four goals in six consecutive games and 10 of their last 12.
One player who won’t play Thursday, is superstar Auston Matthews, who will serve the last part of his two-game suspension. It’s a big loss as Matthews leads the NHL with 45 goals, six more than the next closest player, and his team-high 77 points is 13 more than the next closest Leafs player. John Tavares took Matthews’ spot against Dallas, finishing with a goal and an assist. Mitch Marner and Morgan Reilly had two helpers each, while Rasmus Sandin, Ondrej Kase and Ilya Mikheyev all scored.
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