Phil Kessel, Sidney Crosby, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are set to face off against John Tavares, Mitchell Marner, and the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena in an Eastern Conference showdown. This one gets started at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 2 and it will be shown live on CBC Sports.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Odds
Oddsmakers have not yet posted moneyline or Over/Under odds for this matchup.
Toronto is 30-20 straight-up (SU) and has lost 0.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. That winning percentage, ranked fourth in the league in this young season, is right in line with the 49-33 record the team posted during last year’s regular season campaign. Out of the team’s 50 regular season outings, 23 of them have gone under the total, while 22 have gone over and just four have pushed. The team’s 14-12 SU at home this season.
The Maple Leafs have converted on 20.8 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 12th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 81.5 percent of all penalties.
With a .922 save percentage and 30.2 saves per game, Frederik Andersen (22-13-2) has been the top option in goal for Toronto this year. Andersen did just play last night, however, so the team may choose to give him a rest and instead turn to Garret Sparks (6-5-5 record, .907 save percentage, 2.91 goals against average).
On the visitors’ side of the ice, Pittsburgh is 28-23 straight up (SU) and has lost 10.9 units for moneyline bettors this year. 24 of its outings have gone over the total, while 21 have gone under the total and just five have pushed. As the road team, the Penguins are 13-12 SU so far.
The Penguins have converted on 24.0 percent of their power play chances this season, a figure that’s good enough for eighth-best in the league. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 11th overall and it’s successfully killed off 81.7 percent of all opponent power plays.
Casey DeSmith (27.2 saves per game) has been the primary option in the net for Pittsburgh. DeSmith owns a 13-16-4 record, while registering a .918 save percentage and 2.69 goals against average this year.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Toronto Maple Leafs Free Picks
NHL Tip: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- The Penguins are 8-8 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Maple Leafs are 13-6 SU in games where they spend more time in the box than the opposition.
- Pittsburgh is ranked 17th this season with 9.9 giveaways per game. That figure’s trended upward lately, as the team’s averaged 12.0 giveaways over its last 10 games and 11.6 giveaways over its last five.
- Toronto skaters have averaged 14.2 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 11.8 giveaways per game (ranked 24th in the NHL).
- Pittsburgh skaters have dished out the most hits in the league (29.2 per game), but the team’s recorded just 26.4 hits over their last five away games.
