In what’s already their last head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Dallas Stars and the Toronto Maple Leafs collide at Scotiabank Arena for an East-West tilt. The action will get going at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 1, and fans at home can catch the game live on Fox Sports Southwest.
Dallas Stars at Toronto Maple Leafs Odds
Toronto heads into the matchup as the obvious favorite with a moneyline of -150. The line for Dallas sits at +130, and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals (-115 for the over, -105 for the under).
Toronto is 8-4 straight up (SU) and has earned 0.7 units for moneyline bettors this year. That win percentage, ranked third in the NHL so far this season, is right in line with what the team posted during the 2017-18 season (49-33). Out of its 12 regular season matches, eight of them have gone under the total, while four have gone over and none have pushed. Thus far, the team’s 3-4 SU at home.
The Maple Leafs currently have the third-best power-play unit in the NHL, as they have scored on 31.0 percent of their extra-man opportunities this season. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated 11th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 81.3 percent of all penalties.
The Maple Leafs, as a collective unit, have been penalized just 2.9 times per game this season. Last year, they posted the second-best figure in the league with 3.3 penalties per game. After serving an average of 7.2 penalty minutes per game a year ago, the team’s been forced to kill penalties for 6.3 minutes per outing this season.
Averaging 28.2 saves per game with a .919 save percentage, Frederik Andersen (six wins, four losses) has been the primary goalkeeper for Toronto this year. If head coach Mike Babcock decides to give him the night off, however, Toronto may go with the undefeated Garret Sparks (2-0 record, .892 save percentage, 3.49 goals against average).
Mitchell Marner and Auston Matthews will both be focal points for the Maple Leafs. Marner (16 points) has produced four goals and 12 assists and has recorded multiple points in five different games this year. Matthews has 10 goals and six assists to his name and has recorded at least one point in seven contests.
Over on the other bench, Dallas is 6-5 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.9 units for moneyline bettors thus far. A total of five of its matches have gone under the total, while four have gone over and two have pushed. The Stars are 1-3 SU as the road team this season.
The Stars have converted on 26.5 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked sixth overall and it’s successfully killed off 87.5 percent of all penalties.
Dallas’ skaters have been penalized 4.0 times per game this season. Last year, that number was at 4.2, which was the fourth-worst mark in the league. After serving an average of 10.1 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team has had to stave off opponent power plays for 8.8 minutes per matchup this year.
Ben Bishop (27.2 saves per game) has been the primary choice in goal for Dallas. Bishop has five wins and four losses to his credit, and has registered a .925 save percentage and 2.26 goals against average this year.
For the visiting Stars, the offense will be facilitated by Tyler Seguin (three goals, nine assists) and Alexander Radulov (five goals, six assists).
Dallas Stars vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Free Picks
NHL Prediction: SU Winner – Stars, O/U – Over
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Notes
Betting Notes
Penalties and power plays could be critical in the outcome of this matchup. The Stars are 3-2 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 3-4 when they’re in the box for fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Maple Leafs are 3-0 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 7-4 when they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
The under has hit in each of Toronto’s last five outings.
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