Toronto Maple Leafs vs. San Jose Sharks Prediction, NHL Odds
The Toronto Maple Leafs look to claim their third victory in four road contests when they visit the surging San Jose Sharks on Thursday night in NHL betting action at SAP Center.
The Maple Leafs are coming off a gritty 5-4 overtime win in Anaheim on Monday night to improve to 3-1-0 in their past four games and avoid elimination from this season’s NHL playoffs.
The Sharks find themselves in the thick of the playoff hunt after tallying a third straight one-goal victory, knocking off the Ducks 4-3 on Wednesday, and enter Thursday’s action trailing Los Angeles by just one point in the Western Conference wild card race.
The Maple Leafs arrive in the Bay Area pegged as slim +100 road underdogs on Thursday’s NHL odds while the Sharks are listed as -120 favourites. The total is set at 6.5.
Maple Leafs vs. Sharks NHL Betting Odds
The Sharks have held the upper hand in recent dates with the Maple Leafs, winning three straight including a narrow 3-2 victory in Toronto in their first meeting of the season, back on December 11.
However, the Sharks have produced mixed results when hosting the Leafs, winning just three of their past six, and have been limited to a single goal in four of their past eight dates with Toronto.
Accordingly, results in totals betting have been uneven, with the UNDER paying out in four of seven head-to-head clashes.
Much to the chagrin of many Leafs fans eager to see the team finish at the bottom of the standings and enter the summer with a high draft pick, the club has managed to keep their playoff hopes alive during their 3-1-0 run, and trail Columbus by 11 points in the East wild card race with just seven games remaining.
The Leafs have scored 4+ goals in each of their recent wins, and have picked up at least a point in four of their past six away contests.
The Sharks have compiled a 3-0-1 record while seeing each of their past four games settled by a single goal, but have been streaky on home ice, where they have lost four of six since seeing a steady 7-3-0 run snapped.
San Jose shooters have potted four goals per game during their three-game surge, which marks a turnaround after averaging just two goals per game during a preceding six-game slide.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Five players picked up multiple points in Monday’s emotional victory over the Ducks, led by leading scorer William Nylander, who snapped a two-game points drought with a goal and three assists. Nylander has now tallied multiple points in two of his past three road games, and cracked the scoresheet in seven of nine away contests, and has racked up 11 points in his past five appearances versus the Sharks.
John Tavares remained hot with two goals including the game winner, along with a helper, and has played some of his best hockey of the season while compiling 15 points in March. Easton Cowan’s scrappy performance was marked by a pair of assists in his second multi-point effort in four away games while rearguards Morgan Rielly and Oliver Ekman-Larsson each picked up two points, providing some much needed production from the blue line.
San Jose Sharks
The Sharks are poised to return to the playoff picture and enormous credit must go to budding superstar Macklin Celebrini. The 19-year-old scored twice and added two assists in Wednesday’s win over Anaheim, and has gotten in on nine of the club’s 12 goals over the past three games with five markers and four assists, making it tough to overlook him as a +120 bet on the NHL player props to pick up 2+ points on Thursday.
Will Smith has also been on fire, racking up nine points over the past five games. However, the status of prized rookie Igor Chernyshov remains uncertain after he missed Wednesday’s date with the Ducks due to an illness.
