A couple of teams that have put themselves squarely in playoff contention, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Pittsburgh Penguins face off at PPG Paints Arena for an Eastern Conference tilt. The opening face-off is at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 17, and you can watch it live on Sportsnet.,
Toronto Maple Leafs at Pittsburgh Penguins Odds
With a -135 moneyline, Pittsburgh enters the game as the favorite. The line for Toronto sits at +115 and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-130 over, +110 under).,
Toronto is 35-24 straight up (SU) and has earned 4.1 units for moneyline bettors this year. 28 of its contests have gone under the total, while 27 have gone over and just four have pushed. As the away team this season, the Leafs are 16-14 SU.,
Toronto has converted on 20.0 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked fifth overall, and the teams successfully killed off 83.2 percent of all penalties.,
For the team as a whole, the Leafs have been penalized just 3.4 times per game overall this season, and 2.2 per game over its last five match ups. The teams had to kill penalties just 5.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.,
With a .922 save percentage and 31.4 saves per game, Frederik Andersen (30-19-4) has been the best option in goal for Toronto this season. If head coach Mike Babcock decides to rest him, however, Toronto could turn to Curtis McElhinney (6-4 record, .932 save percentage, 2.27 goals against average).,
The visiting Maple Leafs have relied on Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner this year. Matthews has 47 points on 26 goals and 21 assists, and has recorded two or more points in 14 different games. Marner has 13 goals and 32 assists to his name (and has notched at least one point in 26 games).,
On the other side of the rink, Pittsburgh is 33-26 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.4 units for moneyline bettors this year. 30 of its matches have gone over the total, while 27 have gone under and just two have pushed. This season, the teams 22-8 SU at home.,
The Penguins currently have the second-best power-play unit in the NHL, as they’ve converted on 26.6 percent of their extra-man opportunities this season. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked eighth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 82.5 percent of all penalties.,
Penguins players have been penalized 4.2 times per game in total this season, and 3.2 per game over their past five match ups. The team has been forced to defend opponent power plays just 8.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.,
Matt Murray (25.9 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for the Penguins. Murray has 23 wins, 15 losses, and two OT losses and has recorded a fairly-weak .908 save percentage and 2.85 goals against average this year.,
The home team will be led on offense by Phil Kessel (24 goals, 42 assists) and Sidney Crosby (19 goals, 47 assists).,
Toronto Maple Leafs at Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Predictions
Free NHL Pick: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- Over Pittsburgh’s last ten outings, eight of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 7-1 in those games).,
- Toronto has averaged 3.4 goals per game overall this season, but has upped that figure to 5.2 per contest in their past five games (the teams a perfect 5-0 SU during that streak),
- The extra-man advantage could have a critical role in tonight’s matchup. The Maple Leafs are 12-8 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 25-22 in games where they’re in the box for fewer than 10 penalty minutes, total. The Penguins are 17-9 when the team serves fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 19-17 in games where total penalty minutes are in the single digits.,
- Toronto is 5-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Pittsburgh is 2-2 in shootouts.,
- The over has hit in three of Pittsburgh’s last five outings.,
- Pittsburgh has averaged 3.1 goals per game overall this year, but is averaging 4.3 per contest over its three-game winning streak.,
- Pittsburgh has averaged 7.6 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 8.4 giveaways per game (ranked 10th overall).,
- Toronto is ranked 29th this season with 12.2 giveaways per game. That figures trended upward recently, as it’s averaged 14.8 giveaways over its last 10 games and 17.2 giveaways over its last five.,
- The Pens this season have handed the sixth-most hits in the NHL (24.5 per game), but the teams averaged 27.2 over their past five home games.
