Air Canada Centre will play host to an Eastern Conference tilt as the Toronto Maple Leafs square off against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s the third and last time that these two clubs will meet in the regular season. CBC Sports will broadcast the game, which gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 10.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Toronto Maple Leafs Odds
Pittsburgh comes into the matchup as the narrow favorite with a moneyline of -115. The line for Toronto sits at -105 and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 7 goals (-105 for the over, -115 for the under).
The Maple Leafs are 39-29 straight up (SU) and have netted 2.4 units for moneyline bettors this year. That winning percentage, ranked third in the Atlantic Division so far in this young season, is a welcome improvement compared to how the team performed during last year’s regular season (40-42). Through 68 regular season matches, 33 of its games have gone over the total, while 31 have gone under and just four have pushed. The team is 22-10 SU at home this season.
Toronto has converted on 20.9 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 11th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 82.4 percent of all penalties.
As a team, Toronto has been penalized just 3.3 times per game overall this season, and 2.0 per game over its last five outings at home. The team has been forced to kill penalties for just 4.9 minutes per game over its last 10 matchups, overall.
With a .919 save percentage and 31.1 saves per game, Frederik Andersen (33-23-5) has been the primary goalkeeper for the Maple Leafs this season. If head coach Mike Babcock decides to give him a rest, however, the team could turn to Curtis McElhinney (7-6-6 record, .931 save percentage, 2.20 goals against average).
The Leafs will continue seeking leadership from Mitchell Marner and William Nylander. Marner (54 points) has tallied 18 goals and 36 assists and has recorded multiple points on 13 separate occasions this year. Nylander has 14 goals and 36 assists to his credit and has notched a point in 36 contests.
Over on the other bench, Pittsburgh is 39-29 straight up (SU) and has earned 1.3 units for moneyline bettors this season. A total of 37 of its contests have gone over the total, while 29 have gone under and just two have pushed. Pittsburgh’s 14-20 SU as the away team this season.
Pittsburgh currently has the second-best power-play unit in the NHL, as it’s scored on 26.4 percent of its extra-man advantages in 2017-18. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 11th overall and it’s successfully killed off 82.1 percent of all opponent power plays.
Pittsburgh’s skaters have been penalized 4.1 times per game this season, 4.0 per game over their past five match ups total, and 4.6 per game over their last five road outings. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 8.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Matt Murray (2.82 goals against average and .909 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for Pittsburgh. Murray is averaging 25.7 saves per game and owns a 25-16-2 record.
Evgeni Malkin (38 goals, 46 assists) will pace the attack for the visiting Penguins.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Betting Predictions
Free NHL Tip: SU Winner – Maple Leafs, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes
Two of Toronto’s last ten games have been decided by a shootout. The team is 1-1 in those games and 6-2 overall in shootouts this year.
The total has gone over in four of Toronto’s last five games.
Pittsburgh’s attempted 34.2 shots per contest overall this season (the second-most in the NHL), and 35.1 in its last 10 games.
Toronto has allowed 2.9 goals per game this year, but is giving up 4.3 goals per contest over its four-game losing streak.
Over Pittsburgh’s last ten games, six of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 5-1 in those games).
Pittsburgh skaters have accounted for the league’s seventh-most hits per game (24.0), but that number’s down to just 19.2 hits over their last five away games.
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