The Dallas Stars will head up north into Toronto tonight as they look to faceoff against the Maple Leafs. The Stars are looking to avoid a third straight loss tonight after losing to the Rangers at home last time out. The Maple Leafs were also dealt a loss against Buffalo on Sunday in the Winter Classic game. This is the first meeting between these two teams since the 2020 season, so it should be an interesting one as it’s now time to continue our NHL odds series with a Stars-Maple Leafs prediction and pick.

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Here are the Stars-Maple Leafs NHL Odds, Courtesy of FanDuel

NHL Odds: Stars-Maple Leafs Odds

Dallas Stars: +1.5 (-215) (+116 ML)

Toronto Maple Leafs: -1.5 (+172) (-140 ML)

Over: 6.5 (-114)

Under: 6.5 (-108)

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Why The Stars Can Cover The Spread/Win

The Dallas Stars begin a four-game road trip in Toronto tonight as they're looking to avoid yet another loss tonight. The Stars are in a heated playoff battle with a few other teams all fighting for a wild-card or better position, and if the playoffs started today, the Stars would not be in them as they are just one point behind the Golden Knights. With that said, the Stars have been a very hot team as they are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games and will most likely be a buyer at the trade deadline later in the week.

Most likely, the Stars will start their number one goaltender, Jake Oettinger tonight, as he is averaging 2.43 goals against with a .918 save percentage. He'll look to play at his A-game tonight if he wants to help the Stars steal a win on the road.

Why The Maple Leafs Can Cover The Spread/Win

The Toronto Maple Leafs also head into this game worried about losing a third straight game after giving up wins to the Sabres and the Coyotes in their last time out. The Leafs (and really the rest of the Eastern Conference) are set for playoffs, just no official seedings. Right now, the Leafs are third in the Atlantic Division with a two-point cushion on the Bruins. The big story for the Maple Leafs is that superstar forward Auston Matthews will be out tonight after catching a minor two-game suspension. That's not much, but for a team that is already on a losing streak and now without arguably the best playing in their franchise history, it'll definitely be an uphill battle tonight.

Their star goaltender, Jack Campbell has also found his way to the bench with an injury, so Petr Mrazek will be getting the starting nod tonight as he is having a poor season, allowing 3.48 goals against with a .884 save percentage. He'll have to play up to par tonight if the Maple Leafs want to try and stay in third place instead of a wild card spot.

Final Stars-Maple Leafs Prediction & Pick

As tempting as it is to back the Maple Leafs here, simply because they're known as such a powerhouse team, they don't have Matthews, which is the real disappointment; not to mention Mrazek will be in net for them tonight. Dallas is a strong team right now too, but their offense has been struggling all year. Regardless, I'm going to take the over in this matchup. I think Dallas will ultimately come away with the victory, which would be a nice little payout with their plus money status right now (+116), but I like the over in this matchup. Toronto is a powerhouse offensively, even without Matthews, and I have little to zero faith in Mrazek shutting down the Stars.

Final Stars-Maple Leafs Prediction and Pick: Over 6.5 (-114)