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Edgar Chaput
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Calgary Flames Prediction, NHL Odds
It’s a little early to press any panic buttons in Toronto, but the Maple Leafs would do well to right some alarming wrongs. Tuesday evening’s pit stop in Edmonton saw the Leafs once again take an early lead but fail to hold on, losing 4-2 to the Oilers. The Flames were at home to the Arizona Coyotes. Although the match was far closer than last week’s, they still vanquished their desert-based opponents 3-2.
As per the NHL odds, Toronto is expected to correct course tonight. The Leafs are pegged as -135 favourites on the moneyline.
Maple Leafs vs. Flames NHL Betting Odds
Speaking of comebacks, that’s the trick the Flames played on the Maple Leafs a couple of months ago in Toronto. The hosts raced out to a 4-1 advantage before Calgary stormed back with three goals before losing in a shootout 5-4. That was Toronto’s third successive win over Calgary and, incidentally, the second 5-4 final score that required extra time. The last time Calgary got the better of their Ontario rivals was in February 2022 at home.
It’s the same story every time we preview Maple Leafs matches, so just to get the obvious point out of the way, the team is horrid against the puckline at 13-27. The more pressing matter of the hour is the club’s inability to preserve leads. They led 3-1 last week against the Islanders but lost 4-3 in overtime. They led 3-0 against the Avalanche on Saturday but lost 5-3. They led 2-1 versus Detroit on Sunday yet tasted a 4-2 defeat. Finally, they were up 2-0 to the Oilers on Tuesday and fell 4-2.
It’s safe to say the Calgary Flames are who they are. It’s a decent team. Not a bad one, certainly not a great one, but decent. Their 22-22 ATS tally tells the tale of their campaign. That said, they’ve won four games in a row, which puts them in the conversation for a Wild Card Spot in the Western Conference. Calgary is like a Western Montreal Canadiens. They earn their share of wins, but inconsistency overall plagues them.
Toronto Maple Leafs
As stated, the Maple Leafs are showing consistency these days, just not a positive variety. Tuesday night in Edmonton against the Oilers was yet another collapse.
Like so many of their recent contests, Toronto came out flying. High pressure in the Oilers’ zone resulted in Auston Matthews slotting home his 24th of the campaign only 24 seconds in. In the second period, it was Morgan Rielly (seventh) who doubled the visitors’ advantage to 2-0, with Matthews playing the role of facilitator.
But a refused goal against the Oilers for offside didn’t dampen their spirits. Winners of 10 straight, Edmonton knows a thing or two about digging deep. Leon Draisaitl made it a game before the middle frame concluded, after which the Oilers bullied their way around Toronto’s net in the final 20 minutes to score three times including an empty netter. This one at least was not on goalie Martin Jones, who played admirably.
Calgary Flames
Playing the same opponent twice in a short span can be a tricky proposition for the club that won the first time, especially if was as comfortable as the Flames’ 6-2 drubbing of the Coyotes last week.
True enough, Arizona showed up in Calgary on Tuesday and made it clear this was going to be a different sort of game. The Coyotes scored the first two goals and looked good for about two and a half periods. That’s when Calgary’s leaders came out to shine. Blake Coleman earned his 20th through some gritty play, as did Nazem Kadri for his 15th. Both goals were netted barely a minute apart at around the halfway mark of the final period of regulation. Calgary looked like a team that had awoken from a slumber. Yegor Sharangovich (18th, power play) would snipe home the winner from the face-off circle in overtime for a thrilling 3-2 win.
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