The Toronto Maple Leafs (-460) welcome the Chicago Blackhawks (+355) at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday. The total is 6.5 (O: -115, U: -105)Chicago (16-31-5) is playing on back-to-back days after suffering a 4-0 loss against the Canadiens yesterday, their third straight defeat away from home.
The Blackhawks committed five penalties in the game, conceding one power play goal. Jaxson Stauber only had 27 saves on 31 shots against (.870%) in the loss. Toronto (32-14-8) fell 4-3 to the Blue Jackets on Saturday.
William Nylander, Morgan Rielly, and Michael Bunting each scored once for the Maple Leafs. Nylander added an assist to share the scoring lead with Mitchell Marner, who had two assists. Joseph Woll saved only 36 of 40 shots against (.900%) in the loss.
HEAD TO HEAD
The Maple Leafs won both games between the teams last season, including a 5-4 victory in their final meeting in December. Nylander led Toronto with three points (1G 2A). Connor Murphy and Jake McCabe each had two points (1G 1A) to lead Chicago. Petr Mrazek got the win despite saving only 31 of 35 shots (.885%).
FACING OFF
Chicago is averaging 2.40 goals per game for the season, worst in the NHL, and they are taking on a Maple Leafs team that is allowing 2.67 goals a game (6th).
Meanwhile, Toronto has found the net 3.35 times a game on average, eighth in the league, and the Blackhawks are allowing opponents to score 3.62 goals per game (28th).
Chicago averages fewer shots per game (26.6) than any other team in the league, while the team’s 9.0% shooting percentage is 28th. Toronto’s average of 32.0 attempts ranks 16th.
The Maple Leafs’ 25.44% power play percentage is the fourth-best in the league, while the Blackhawks rank 26th with a conversion rate of 17.88%. In terms of penalty killing, Toronto has the league’s 12th-ranked PK% at 80.84%, while Chicago is 25th at 75.64%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 35 points apiece this season, Max Domi (14G 21A) and Patrick Kane (9G 26A) are the top skaters for the Blackhawks. In the net, Arvid Soderblom (2-10-2) is Chicago’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 3.45 GAA and a .894% save percentage. Mrazek (5-14-2) leads the Blackhawks in games played in goal. He has a GAA of 3.95 and a save percentage of .885%.
Marner and Nylander lead the Maple Leafs in scoring with 64 and 61 points, respectively. Marner has 19 goals and 45 assists (6th) in 54 games, while Nylander has 29 goals and 32 assists. Ilya Samsonov (18-6-2) has the best goals against average for Toronto at 2.32, fourth-best in the league. He has a save percentage of .917%.
HOME AND AWAY
Chicago is 6-15-2 on the road this season. Toronto is 20-6-4 at Scotiabank Arena this season. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks are 0-8 without a day off and 0-4 playing with a rest disadvantage. The Maple Leafs are 6-0 with a rest advantage.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Toronto Maple Leafs -2.5 (-115)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
