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The nashville predators will continue their Canadian road trip as they battle the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday night. It’s time to continue our NHL odds series with a Predators-Maple Leafs prediction and pick.
On Monday, the Predators shut out the Ottawa Senators 3-0 at the Canadian Tire Centre. Goalie Jusse Saros held the fort with a spectacular 38-save shutout. Meanwhile, Filip Forsberg contributed on offense with a goal and an assist, while defenseman Roman Josi scored his 10th goal of the season. The Preds won despite only winning 43 percent of their faceoffs. Also, they whiffed on all five of their powerplay chances but killed all five penalties they had. The Predators also finished with 23 hits and 22 blocked shots.
The Leafs are coming off a 6-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers this past Sunday. Calle Jarnrock and John Tavares each had a goal and two assists. Likewise, Mitchell Marner distributed three helpers to propel the Leafs to victory. Goalie Matt Murray made 34 saves. Moreover, Toronto dominated the faceoff circle, winning 56 percent of its draws. The Leafs went 1 for 2 on the powerplay and also killed off all four penalties. However, the Flyers dominated the hit battle 41-17. Toronto also blocked 17 shots, so there are things to clean up.
The Predators have won 14 of the 28 matches in the all-time history between the teams, with the first match being a tie. Conversely, the Leafs have won 6 of the previous 10 games played between the teams. The Preds are 5-4-1 over the last 10 in Toronto. Significantly, the Predators and Leafs split the season series last year, with the Leafs shutting out the Predators 3-0 in Toronto and the Predators routing the Leafs 6-3 in Music City.
The Predators are 19-16-6 this season. Likewise, they are 10-8-3 on the road. Nashville has been hot lately, generating a 7-2-1 record over 10 games. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs are 25-9-7. They are 14-3-4 at Scotiabank Arena. Also, they have gone 6-3-1 over their previous 10 games.
Here are the Predators-Maple Leafs NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Predators-Maple Leafs Odds
Nashville Predators: +1.5 (-140)
Toronto Maple Leafs: -1.5 (+112)
Over: 6.5 (+100)
Under: 6.5 (-122)
How To Watch Predators vs. Maple Leafs
TV: TNT, Sportsnet, TVAS
Stream: NHL
Time: 7:30 PM ET/4:30 PM PT
*Watch NHL games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Predators Could Cover The Spread
The Predators are rolling at the moment. Ultimately, they are scoring more and defending their net better. Forsberg has 16 goals and 20 assists. Also, he has tallied four powerplay goals. Josi has 10 goals and 22 assists. Moreover, he has sniped five powerplay markers. Matt Duchene has 11 goals and 19 assists. Likewise, he has pitted four powerplay goals. The Preds are still 26th in goals fenced and 24th in shooting percentage. Also, they still rank 28th on the powerplay, so there is significant work to do.
Saros has upped his game recently and is now 15-10-5 with a goals-against average of 2.67 with a save percentage of .921. Additionally, his play has revitalized the Preds lately. Saros is 6-2-2 over his last 10 games with a goals-against average of 2.17 and a save percentage of .942. Moreover, he is 4-1 through the previous five games with a goals-against average of 2.00 and a save percentage of .948. The performance included a 64-save effort last Thursday. Ultimately, he leads a group that ranks 12th in goals allowed and 26th on the penalty kill. The Predators must do a better job of defending the net in front of him. Therefore, they cannot allow 40 shots every night.
The Predators could cover the spread if they can generate scoring opportunities early and take the Toronto crowd out of the game. Then, Saros must continue to stay hot and defend the net with some help from his defense.
Why The Maple Leafs Could Cover The Spread
The Maple Leafs continue to score plenty of goals. Moreover, they have weapons on every end. Marner has 15 goals and 34 assists. Likewise, he has tallied four goals on special teams. Auston Matthews has 20 goals and 27 assists. Additionally, he has nine powerplay tallies. William Nylander has 22 goals and 23 assists. Moreover, he has six on the powerplay. Tavares has 19 goals and 21 assists. Subsequently, he has delved eight on the powerplay. The Leafs are seventh in goals and 10th in shooting percentage. Additionally, they are seventh on the powerplay.
Murray splits time with Ilya Samsonov. Significantly, Murray is 10-4-2 with a goals-against average of 2.57 and a save percentage of .916, while Samsonov is 12-3-1 with a goals-against average of .229 and a save percentage of .916. The Leafs are fourth in goals allowed but just 16th on the penalty kill.
The Maple Leafs could cover the spread if they can score early on Saros to prevent him from getting into a groove. Therefore, it would force the Preds to play catchup.
Final Predators-Maple Leafs Prediction & Pick
Saros is playing well. However, both matches last season ended with the spread covering. The Leafs take the home-ice and run with it, covering the spread.
Final Predators-Maple Leafs Prediction & Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs: -1.5 (+112)