Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Philadelphia Flyers Prediction, NHL Odds
The Toronto Maple Leafs continue the search for their first road win of the season when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers in Saturday night NHL betting action.
The Leafs opened their current two-game road trip with Wednesday’s 6-3 loss in Columbus to fall to 0-3-0 on the road and into a three-way tie with Buffalo and Florida for last place in the Atlantic Division standings.
The Flyers look to extend their current home win streak to six games after skating to a 4-1 win over Nashville on Thursday night.
The Maple Leafs remain perched as -135 favourites on the Saturday NHL odds. The Flyers trail as strong +110 underdogs and the total is pegged at 6.0.
Maple Leafs vs. Flyers NHL Betting Odds
The Leafs are looking to extend the success they enjoyed while sweeping last season’s three-game series with the Flyers, including a narrow 3-2 victory in Philadelphia in January. Overall, the Maple Leafs have topped Philly in 10 of 11 meetings. That run includes victories in four of five dates at Xfinity Mobile Arena, with four of those wins coming by multi-goal margins.
The Leafs also made a statement with a 7-2 rout of the Flyers when they visited Scotiabank Arena in March. However, it has been far from an ideal start to the season for Toronto. The Leafs have tallied consecutive wins just twice during a middling 5-5-1 start, and have been outscored by a wide 17-9 combined margin while going winless in their first three road contests.
In addition to dumping them into the basement in the divisional standings, the Buds’ slow start is also impacted the club on the NHL futures, where they sit well off the pace as a +1900 bet on the Stanley Cup odds and as a diminished -200 wager to make the NHL playoffs.
Conversely, the Flyers have overcome a 1-2-1 start with wins in five of six contests and sport a league-best 6-1-0 record on home ice. Philadelphia has slammed the door on opposing shooters during their current five-game win streak, but have need overtime or the shootout to claim three of those wins.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Leafs were once again outclassed on the road in Wednesday’s 6-3 loss to the Blue Jackets. For the fourth time in as many games, the Leafs surrendered the first goal and failed to get things going until getting a pair of goals in garbage time in the final frame.
Auston Matthews’ early-season woes continued Wednesday. The Leafs captain was held off the scoresheet for the third time in five games and has now scored just one total goal in his past six outings. However, Matthews has not been without opportunity, recording six shots on goal in Columbus and 17 total shots over the past four games.
The trio of William Nylander, Matthew Knies, and John Tavares have remained productive. Knies has racked up six points during a three-game points streak, while Tavares has bulged the twine five times and record nine points during a six-game surge. Nylander continues to lead the squad with 15 points, but remains a game-time decision for Saturday’s contest after missing Wednesday’s action with a lower body injury.
Philadelphia Flyers
Trevor Zegras has had an immediate impact in his Philadelphia debut. Acquired in an offseason deal with Anaheim, the 24-year-old centre led the attack in Thursday’s win over the Predators with a goal and an assist. Zegras has now potted four goals and three helpers during a three-game points streak and leads the Flyers with 12 points in 10 games.
Veteran forward Sean Couturier has also enjoyed a productive start, flashing vintage form while scoring twice and picking up seven helpers. However, Couturier was forced to leave Thursday’s contest in the first period with an undisclosed injury, leaving his status for Saturday night uncertain.
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