NHL Best Bets: Sabres vs. Maple Leafs Game Picks

The Toronto Maple Leafs will be looking to continue their winning streak and complete the season series sweep of the Buffalo Sabres tonight.

All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

The Sabres have made a lot of progress this season, but it appears they will fall short of the playoffs again. Still, they’ve shown that there are some legitimate pieces to build around in the organization, and brighter times are certainly ahead.

On the other hand, the Maple Leafs are one of the top contenders in the league and will be looking to make noise in the postseason for the first time in nearly two decades. Toronto’s listed as sizeable -245 favorites on the moneyline tonight, while the Sabres are priced at +198. 

This will be the third and final meeting between these clubs, which has already seen the Maple Leafs win both games by scores of 6-3 and 5-2. Toronto is sitting at 7-3 over their past ten games, while the Sabres are at 4-5-1 over that same sample size. 

Looking toward the projected goalie matchup tonight, the Sabres are expected to start Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, while the Maple Leafs have confirmed that Matt Murray will start. The young Sabres netminder has posted a 15-10-3 record, paired with a .895 save percentage. Murray is sitting at 12-6-2, along with a .905 save percentage. With the Maple Leafs’ defensive prowess, they should have the edge defensively and in goal tonight.

Toronto has continued to demonstrate that they’re the better team in this season series and have outscored Buffalo 11-5 in two matchups. The Maple Leafs have won two in a row and are finding a groove, meaning there’s some real value in backing their puck line price in this matchup tonight at home. 

Best Bet: Maple Leafs Puck Line -1.5 (-106) 

The first two games in the season series saw them combine for nine and seven goals. Tonight’s total is 6.5, with the over very juiced up at -164, while the under is at +134. The Sabres sit near the bottom of the league in goals allowed per game, while both sides are inside the top ten in goals scored per game.

Over the Sabres past five games, they’ve seen seven or more goals scored twice, while the Maple Leafs have seen that transpire in three contests. With how the odds are outlined for this matchup and what’s already happened this season, it’s hard to look away from the over 6.5 tonight. 

Best Bet: Over 6.5 (-164) 

With both teams having no problem finding the back of the net in this matchup, a lot of value is prevalent in the goal-scoring department. One player that continues to lack the overall credit he deserves is William Nylander, who’s already tallied 34 goals to lead the team and 78 points in 65 games. He’s continued to be one of the most consistent players for Toronto nightly and is often listed far too cheap for our liking. Nylander is priced at an extremely reasonable price of +148, and that’s a number we’ll be happy to target tonight. 

Best Prop: William Nylander to Record Over 0.5 Goals (+148)