Two teams squaring off for the first time this season, the Minnesota Wild and the Toronto Maple Leafs take the ice at Air Canada Centre for an East-West matchup. The action gets going at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, November 8, and fans at home will be able to watch it live on Sportsnet.
Minnesota Wild at Toronto Maple Leafs Odds
Toronto (-150) is currently favored over Minnesota (+130), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at an even 6 goals (-110 for the over, -110 for the under). After they originally opened at -115 over and -105 under, those lines have shifted.
The Maple Leafs are 9-7 straight up (SU) and have lost 0.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. That winning percentage, ranked second in the Atlantic Division so far in the early season, is a welcome improvement compared to how the team performed during the 2016-17 season (40-42). Among the team’s 16 games this season, 11 have gone over the total, while four have gone under and just one has pushed. This year, the team’s 5-3 SU at home.
Toronto has converted on 24.1 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s good enough for sixth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is rated 21st overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.0 percent of all penalties.
Toronto, as a collective unit, has been penalized just 3.9 times per game overall this season, and 3.0 per game over its last five at home. The team has been forced to kill penalties for just 7.1 minutes per game over its last 10 matchups, overall.
Averaging 29.1 saves per game with a .895 save percentage, Frederik Andersen (eight wins, six losses) has been the best goalkeeper for the Maple Leafs this year. If they choose to give him a rest, however, Toronto might roll with Curtis McElhinney (1-1-1 record, .869 save percentage, 4.10 goals against average).
The Leafs will continue to look for offensive production out of Auston Matthews and Nazem Kadri. Matthews (19 points) is up to 10 goals and nine assists and has recorded multiple points six times this year. Kadri has eight goals and five assists to his name and has recorded a point in seven games.
On the other side of the ice, Minnesota is 5-8 straight up (SU) and has lost 4.9 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year. A total of eight of its contests have gone over the total, while four have gone under and just one has pushed. Minnesota’s 2-4 SU as the visiting team this season.
Minnesota has converted on 17.1 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 10th overall and it’s successfully killed off 82.0 percent of all penalties.
Minnesota’s players have been penalized 4.1 times per game this season. Last year, that number was at 3.4, which was the fifth-lowest mark in the league. After serving an average of 8.1 penalty minutes per game a season ago the team has had to kill penalties for 8.8 minutes per outing this year.
Devan Dubnyk (28.2 saves per game) has been the primary choice in goal for Minnesota. Dubnyk has four wins, six losses, and one OT loss to his credit, and has registered a .907 save percentage and 3.03 goals against average this year.
For the visiting Wild, the offense will be facilitated through Jared Spurgeon (two goals, eight assists) and Eric Staal (five goals, four assists).
Minnesota Wild at Toronto Maple Leafs Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Maple Leafs, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The total has gone over in three of Toronto’s last five games.
- The Maple Leafs are 5-2 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Wild are 3-5 SU when they serve more minutes than their opponent.
- Toronto skaters have averaged 11.2 takeaways per game over its last five home games, an improvement over its season average of 8.1 takeaways per game (ranked 13th).
- Toronto might hold an advantage if it’s a tight one late. The team’s 4-1 in games decided by one goal, while Minnesota is 1-5 in such games.
