Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Edmonton Oilers Prediction, NHL Odds
The Toronto Maple Leafs play in the second of a back-to-back and their final game before the Olympic break on Tuesday night when they visit Edmonton, which is in the front end of a B2B.
The Oilers are -200 on the NHL odds with a total of 6.5 goals.
Maple Leafs vs. Oilers NHL Betting Odds
The Leafs will have to have essentially a new training camp because after Tuesday, their next game isn’t until Feb. 25 at Tampa Bay past the Olympic break. The men’s hockey tournament begins Feb. 11 in Italy. Team Canada’s first game is Feb. 12 vs. Czechia. All 32 NHL clubs have at least one player competing as those players are allowed back at the Games for the first time since 2014.
As of publication and barring injury, Toronto has three players headed overseas and so does Edmonton led by superstars Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid, respectively. Always a treat to see those former Hart Trophy winners and Rocket Richard Trophy winners meet in the regular season and a pretty good chance they square off in a USA vs. Canada gold medal game on the morning of Feb. 22. This will be their 21st NHL meeting with Matthews at 13-5-2 and McDavid 7-11-2, but McDavid leads in head-to-head points 32-22.
Tuesday completes the season series between these clubs as Edmonton was a 6-3 winner at Scotiabank Arena on Dec. 13 behind two goals and an assists from McDavid and three assists from Leon Draisaitl. That was Tristan Jarry’s first game in net for Edmonton after coming over in trade from Pittsburgh. Dennis Hildeby allowed all six goals on 32 shots before getting pulled for the Leafs and replaced by Artur Akhtyamov, who made four saves in relief in his first NHL action. He’s back in the AHL.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Blueliner Morgan Rielly didn’t play in Monday’s 4-2 victory in Calgary and won’t tonight. He aggravated an upper-body injury Saturday and will take the break to try and heal up. Toronto was up 3-0 on Monday by midway through the second period and then held on as the Flames rallied. The Leafs clinched it on Bobby McMann’s 18th goal of the season, an empty-netter.
William Nylander was the No. 1 star with a goal and two assists. It was Nylander’s 174th career multi-point game and moved within one of Borje Salming for sixth most in franchise history. Nylander also scored his fourth career goal in the opening minute of the game, and only five players in team history have more led by Dave Keon with nine.
Because Joseph Woll was in net Monday, that will mean Anthony Stolarz tonight. The American has had a rough year at 6-7-1 with a 3.67 GAA and .876. In two starts since returning from injury, he has lost both and surrendered nine total goals. The over is 8-4 in Toronto’s past 12.
Edmonton Oilers
This concludes a seven-game homestand on which the Oilers are 4-3 following a 7-3 blowout loss to Minnesota on Saturday to see a three-game winning streak snapped. The Wild broke open a tie game with three in the second and had 15 different players find the score sheet for the second time in franchise history.
Leon Draisaitl had a goal for his 1,034th career point and tied Mark Messier for fourth place on the Oilers’ all-time list. Edmonton’s penalty-killing problems continued as the Wild scored twice on the man advantage and now the Oilers have given up six goals on 14 penalties over the last four games. They are at just 78.7 per cent on the season.
Tristan Jarry gave up five goals on 20 shots Saturday before getting pulled midway through the second period. He was replaced by Connor Ingram, who made seven saves in relief. We would guess Ingram goes tonight to give Jarry a bit more rest and then Jarry starts Wednesday in Calgary in the final pre-break game. Edmonton is just 3-10 at home in its past 13 vs. Toronto, but it’s a tough spot for the Leafs here.
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