Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Washington Capitals Betting Guide: Leafs to Edge Out Caps
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Washington Capitals Moneyline, Total, and Odds
Moneyline: Maple Leafs -140 | Capitals +116
Spread: Maple Leafs -1.5 (+184) | Capitals +1.5 (-230)
Total: Over 6.5 (-104) | Under 6.5 (-118)
Odds courtesy of Fanduel Sportsbook.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Washington Capitals News, Analysis, and Picks
The Toronto Maple Leafs are fifth in the Eastern Conference and have won three of their past four games. They’re coming off a wild 10-7 game against the Detroit Red Wings. The Leafs allowed the Red Wings to come back from 7-2 to within one. However, a short-handed goal by Ondrej Kase in the third crushed Detroit’s momentum. Toronto is led by the NHL’s leading goal scorer Auston Matthews, who’s put in 37 goals in 49 games.
Meanwhile, the Washington Capitals hold that last Eastern playoff spot in eighth place. They’re coming off a 2-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in which T.J. Oshie had the team’s lone goal.
Alex Ovechkin leads the Caps in scoring with 32 goals and 31 assists. However, Ovechkin hasn’t done anything meaningful in the past three games, including strongly denouncing Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine.
The Leafs are fourth in NHL scoring, averaging 3.65 goals per game, while the Capitals are 13th with 3.17. On the other side of the puck, Washington is 11th in opponent scoring, allowing only 2.76 goals per game, while Toronto is 14th with 2.85.
Against the puck line, the Leafs are 22-30 and 12-15 on the road, while the Caps are 27-27 and 9-18 at home. One trend to watch is Toronto is 5-1 in their past six against the Metropolitan division.
I expect the Leafs to reign in their defense after Saturday night’s fiasco. In addition, John Tavares is due for a goal, having not scored in 12 straight. It’s only a matter of time until the captain gets back on the scoresheet.
The Picks: Leafs moneyline (-140), Under 6.5 (-118), John Tavares – Goals: Over 0.5 (+225)
All NHL predictions and picks are courtesy of SportsGrid.
