Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Colorado Avalanche Prediction, NHL Odds
Two of the highest scoring offences in the NHL will go head-to-head in Denver on Saturday night when the Colorado Avalanche host the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Avs’ offence exploded for a 7-1 win against Winnipeg on Thursday, while the Leafs picked up a 4-2 statement win against Edmonton on Wednesday.
Colorado opened as a slim -138 favourite to win on the NHL odds, with a total of 6.0.
Maple Leafs vs. Avalanche NHL Betting Odds
This concludes the season series following Toronto’s 8-3 home win on Dec. 1. Auston Matthews scored a hat trick for the Leafs in the win. Colorado was forced to use an emergency goalie from the University of Toronto to backup third stringer Jonas Johansson after starter Darcy Kuemper was a late scratch with an upper-body injury. Johansson has since been traded to Florida.
The Leafs have thrived on the road, winning eight of their last 10 games outside of the Six. They haven’t been a great cover option this year, however, as they’re 13-19 against the spread overall and 6-7 ATS on the road. The total has gone Over in seven of Toronto’s last 10 games.
The Avs have been hot lately. They’re riding a 10-game home win streak and have claimed two points in eight of their last nine overall. They’re 16-14 ATS for the year, covering in 11 of 15 home games. Colorado has hit the Over nine times at home this season.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Ilya Mikheyev’s third-period power play marker was the winner against Edmonton as the Leafs proved they are the best Canadian team right now. John Tavares, T.J. Brodie and Alex Kerfoot also scored for Toronto. Jack Campbell made 28 saves. William Nylander had two assists and now leads the team in scoring with 35 points (15G, 20A). Matthews, who had a false COVID scare before the game, didn’t find the back of the net, but his 20 goals on the season is still sixth-best in the NHL.
Campbell, a +416 favourite to win the Vezina Trophy, will likely get the start on Saturday. With Petr Mrazek dealing with multiple injury issues this season, Campbell has had one of the heaviest workloads for goalies. He’s posted a 17-5-2 record and sits second in the NHL in goals-against average (1.87), save percentage (.939) and shutouts (4).
Mitch Marner and Pierre Engvall will both be out of the lineup after being placed in COVID protocols Friday. Marner, who missed six games in December with a shoulder injury, has 21 points (6G, 15A) in 26 games this season. Engvall has 10 points (4G, 6A) in 32 games.
Colorado Avalanche
After a back-and-forth first period ended in a 1-1 tie, Colorado blew the doors off Winnipeg on Thursday, scoring six unanswered goals. Gabriel Landeskog scored his fourth career hat trick in a four-point night. Nathan MacKinnon added a goal and four assists. Nazem Kadri, Mikko Rantanen and Bowen Byram also scored. The Avs’ top line of MacKinnon, Landeskog and Rantanen combined for 12 points on the night. Kuemper made 34 saves in the win. Cale Makar, a +216 favourite to win the Norris Trophy, was held off the scoresheet two days after scoring a goal-of-the-year candidate in overtime against Chicago.
Kuemper should get the start in net again on Saturday. Colorado’s No. 1 goalie is 16-5-0 this year with a 2.66 GAA and .912 SV. Defenceman Jack Johnson is listed as day-to-day after suffering a lower-body injury on Tuesday. He was replaced in the lineup on Thursday by Ryan Murray, who had missed the previous 11 games with a lower-body injury.
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