The Edmonton Oilers, fueled by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, are set to take the ice against Auston Matthews, Mitchell Marner, and the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena for a cross-country matchup. NBC Sports Network will showcase the matchup, and the opening face-off is at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, January 6.
Edmonton Oilers at Toronto Maple Leafs Odds
Edmonton (+170) is currently the underdog to Toronto (-195) and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 7 goals (-105 over, -115 under).
Toronto is 24-19 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.9 units for moneyline bettors this year. That winning percentage, ranked 2nd in the Atlantic Division in this young season, is right in line with the 46-36 record the team posted during last year’s regular season campaign. Among the team’s 43 games this season, 23 have gone over the total, while 18 have gone under and just two have pushed. This year, the team is 11-9 SU at home.
The Maple Leafs have converted on 23.9 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that’s good enough for seventh-best in the NHL. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 26th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 75.6 percent of all penalties.
Averaging 29.1 saves per game with a .916 save percentage, Frederik Andersen (21 wins, 12 losses, and four OT losses) has been the most dependable goalkeeper for the Leafs this season. If Toronto chooses to rest him, however, the team could turn to Michael Hutchinson (3-7-7 record, .896 save percentage, 3.59 goals against average).
On the other side of the ice, Edmonton is 22-22 straight up (SU) and has earned 0.6 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 44 regular season matches, 21 of its games have gone over the total, while an additional 21 have gone under the total and just two have pushed. The Oilers are 12-11 SU as the visiting team this season.
The Oilers come into the matchup with the second-best power-play unit in the NHL, as they’ve converted on 29.5 percent of their extra-man advantages this season. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked fifth overall and it’s successfully killed off 83.2 percent of all opponent power plays.
Mikko Koskinen (27.8 saves per game) has been the main choice in the net for Edmonton. Koskinen owns a 14-12-2 record, and has registered a .912 save percentage and 2.85 goals against average this year.
Edmonton Oilers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Free Picks
NHL Pick: SU Winner – Maple Leafs, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Eight of Toronto’s last ten contests have been decided by two or more goals, and the team is 8-0 overall in those games.
- Penalties and power plays could prove to be extremely important in tonight’s game. The Oilers are 11-7 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 17-16 in games where they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 minutes, in total. The Maple Leafs are 9-7 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 19-15 when their penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- Toronto is 1-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while Edmonton is 2-1 in shootouts.
- Edmonton may hold an advantage if it’s a tight one late. The team’s 11-7 in games decided by one goal, while Toronto is 5-9 in such games.
- For both of these teams, the game went over the total in three of their past five matchups.
- Edmonton is ranked 26th this season with 12.0 giveaways per game. That figure has trended higher lately, as the team’s averaged 13.9 giveaways over its last 10 games and 13.2 giveaways over its last five.
- Toronto has averaged 12.6 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 11.3 giveaways per game (ranked 24th overall).
