Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Chicago Blackhawks Prediction, NHL Odds
The Maple Leafs saw their early-season woes extended with Thursday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings and have now been lit up for 19 total goals during their current 0-3-1 swoon. The Blackhawks are also looking to get back in the win column after opening their current four-game homestand with Wednesday’s 4-3 loss to the visiting New Jersey Devils that ended their first three-game win streak since last December.
The Maple Leafs travel to the Windy City leading the way as slim -130 favourites on Saturday’s NHL odds. The Blackhawks return to action as +105 underdogs and the total is pegged at 6.0.
Maple Leafs vs. Blackhawks NHL Betting Odds
The Maple Leafs swept last season’s two-game series with the Blackhawks in decisive fashion, tallying a pair of wins by multi-goal margins including a 5-2 victory in Chicago on February 23 that halted a two-game slide at United Center. Overall, the Leafs have taken five of eight from the Blackhawks but both these clubs have produced streaky results in head-to-head play, each recording a pair of three-game win streaks in their 12 meetings prior to last season. But if the Leafs are to win three in a row against the Blackhawks for the third time since 2017, they must find a way to solve their defensive woes. The Buds have allowed over four goals per game while losing five of their past eight and enter Saturday’s action deadlocked with St. Louis with an NHL-worst 3.83 goals against average.
While the club searches for answers on the ice, NHL betting fans have reap the benefits of an epic 13-0 run for the OVER in totals betting, with at least seven total goals getting scored in each of those contests. The Blackhawks have been road warriors in the early going but have struggled to produce consistent results at home, failing to record consecutive wins during a 3-2-2 start. However, they have kept things close, with three of their four home losses coming by a single goal, and surrendering just 2.57 goals per game at United Center.
Toronto Maple Leafs
After watching both Anthony Stolarz and rookie Dennis Hildeby struggle between the pipes, the Leafs are hoping that Joseph Woll can stop the bleeding in what is expected to be his season debut on Saturday night. Woll has yet to see action after leaving the team during the preseason for personal reasons, and has saw limited action during a recent conditioning stint with the Toronto Marlies but was steady when healthy last season, compiling a 27-14-1 record including a 25-save performance in the club’s 5-2 win in Chicago nine months ago.
With Auston Matthews on the shelf with a lower body injury, opportunity knocks for Easton Cowan. The 20-year-old produced mixed results in an early-season audition, scoring once and adding three assists in 10 appearances but has not seen action since getting sent down to the Marlies following the club’s 4-3 win over Pittsburgh on November 3.
Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks twice blew third-period leads on their way to a 4-3 overtime loss to the Devils on Wednesday night but have shown signs of taking the next step after serving as the NHL’s doormat in recent seasons. A big reason for the club’s improvement has been the steady play of Spencer Knight. The Chicago netminder has been lights out so far in November, racking up a .938 save percentage 2.19 goals against average and while facing an average of 36.3 shots per game, compiling a 2-0-2 record over that stretch. Overall, Knight’s .923 save percentage is tops in the league among goalies that have started more than four games and has faced the fourth most shots on goal. However, he could certainly benefit from more production from Blackhawk shooters, who have recorded fewer than 24 shots on goal over the past four games. Connor Bedard remains key to the Chicago attack, piling up 19 points during a nine-game points streak.
TOR
CHI