In a game between two teams that have put themselves firmly in playoff contention, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Pittsburgh Penguins take the ice at PPG Paints Arena in an Eastern Conference tilt. CBC Sports will air the matchup, and the opening face-off takes place at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 9.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Odds
With a moneyline of -125, Pittsburgh heads into the matchup as the favorite. The line for Toronto sits at +105 and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -130 money on the over and +110 on the under.
Toronto is 18-11 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 2.8 units this season. Through 29 regular season matches, 14 of its games have gone over the total, while 12 have gone under and just three have pushed. The Leafs are 9-6 SU as a road team in 2017-18.
Toronto has converted on 21.8 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s good enough for eighth-best in the league. Additionally, its penalty kill is ranked 14th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 81.3 percent of all penalties.
The Leafs, as a collective unit, have been penalized just 3.6 times per game in the 2017-18 season, and 2.4 per game over its last five road outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 6.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Boasting a .922 save percentage and 31.7 saves per game, Frederik Andersen (16-9-1) has been the primary option in goal for Toronto this year. If head coach Mike Babcock chooses to rest him, however, the team could roll with Curtis McElhinney (2-2 record, .900 save percentage, 3.07 goals against average).
Auston Matthews and Nazem Kadri will both lead the way for the visiting Maple Leafs. Matthews has 26 points on 13 goals and 13 assists, and has recorded two or more points eight times. Kadri has 13 goals and 10 assists to his credit (and has logged a point in 18 games).
On the other side of the rink, Pittsburgh is 16-14 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.9 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 30 regular season outings, 17 of its games have gone over the total, while 12 have gone under and just one has pushed. This season, the team’s 10-4 SU as the home team.
The Penguins currently have the third-best power-play unit in the NHL, as they’ve converted on 27.0 percent of their extra-man advantages this season. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 19th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 79.5 percent of all opponent power plays.
Penguins skaters have been sent to the penalty box 4.7 times per game in total this season, and 4.0 per game over their past ten outings. The team has been forced to defend opponent power plays 8.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Matt Murray has stopped 26.6 shots per game as the top option in goal for the Penguins. Murray has 12 wins, nine losses, and one OT loss and has registered a mediocre 2.95 goals against average and a fairly-weak .906 save percentage this year.
The Pens offense will be led by Phil Kessel (14 goals, 21 assists).
Toronto Maple Leafs at Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Trends
A majority (55.6 percent) of Toronto’s wins have come by two or more goals, and the team is 10-8 overall in games decided by at least two scores. 6 of Pittsburgh’s wins (37.5 percent) have been decided by two or more goals.
The Maple Leafs are 6-4 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 13-9 in games where they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
The over has hit in three of Pittsburgh’s last five games.
Pittsburgh is ranked 10th this season with 8.5 giveaways per game. That figure has trended higher lately, as it’s averaged 10.5 giveaways over its last 10 games and 10.2 giveaways over its last five.
Toronto skaters have averaged 10.4 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 12.7 giveaways per game (ranked 28th overall).
The Pens this season have handed the ninth-most hits in the NHL (23.4 per game).
