Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Prediction, NHL Odds
The struggling Toronto Maple Leafs will look to go into the holiday break on a high note when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.
Tensions are high in Leaf Land as the team picked up no points on their recent three-game road trip, dropping Toronto to last place in the Eastern Conference.
The Penguins also sit out of a playoff spot, but they have some momentum to capitalize on after a 4-3 shootout win against Montreal on Sunday.
The Leafs are -135 favourites to win on the NHL odds, with the total set at 6.0.
Penguins vs. Maple Leafs NHL Betting Odds
This closes out the season series and with both teams currently outside of the playoff picture, they likely won’t meet again in the Spring. Toronto took a pair of November meetings, 4-3 at home and 7-2 on the road.
That continued a trend of dominant head-to-head action that has seen the Leafs win eight of the last 10 meetings. These games have also typically been high scoring, with the Over hitting in four straight.
It hasn’t been a great stretch of recent hockey for either team as the Penguins have dropped eight of their last nine games, while Toronto has lost five of six. On the positive side, the Maple Leafs are 5-1 straight up in their last six home dates against Pittsburgh.
It should be no surprise to see oddsmakers down on both teams’ chances to make the playoffs. Toronto is +260 to playoff postseason hockey this year, while the Penguins are +380.
Pittsburgh Penguins
There hasn’t been much to cheer about for Pens fans this season, but they did see history made on Sunday. Captain Sidney Crosby notched a goal and an assist to tie then break Mario Lemieux’s franchise points record. Crosby, who leads the team in both goals (20) and points (37), is now eighth all-time in NHL history with 1,724 points (645G, 1,079A) in 1,387 games.
Recent trade addition Stuart Skinner is expected to get the start in net on Tuesday. Skinner, who was acquired from Edmonton a little over a week ago, is still searching for his first win in a Pittsburgh uniform. In two starts with Pittsburgh, the 27-year-old has stopped 34 of 42 shots for a disappointing .810 save percentage.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The heat has seriously turned up in the Toronto market and the team made assistant coach Marc Savard their sacrificial lamb. Savard was fired on Monday night largely because it was the easiest change management could make. The veteran of 807 NHL games played had been in charge of the Leafs’ power play, which ranks dead last in the NHL with a 13.3 per cent success rate.
With Anthony Stolarz still on the shelf, it should be Joseph Woll between the pipes on Tuesday. Woll has been one of the only players carrying his weight for Toronto, going 1-1-0 with a .912 SV in two starts since returning from injury.
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