T-Mobile Arena is the site for an East-West tilt as the first-year Vegas Golden Knights welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. It’s the last time that these two clubs will meet in the regular season. The matchup gets underway at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 31, and fans at home can see the game live on Sportsnet.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Vegas Golden Knights Odds
Vegas (-140) is currently favored over Toronto (+120) and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -110 for the over and -110 for the under.
Earning 18.4 units for moneyline bettors, Vegas is 25-11 straight up (SU) overall in the 2017-18 season. Through 36 regular season matches, 21 of the teams games have gone over the total, while 13 have gone under and just two have pushed. The team is 15-3 SU at home this season.
The Golden Knights have converted on 19.4 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 20th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 80.4 percent of all penalties.
As a team, the Golden Knights have been penalized just 3.4 times per game overall this season, 3.0 per game over their last five outings total, and 3.4 per game over their last five at home. The teams had to kill penalties for just 6.6 minutes per game over their last 10 matchups, overall.
Averaging 23.9 saves per game with a .872 save percentage, Maxime Lagace (7-7-1) has been the top goalkeeper for the Knights this year. If head coach Gerard Gallant chooses to give him a rest, however, Vegas might roll with Malcolm Subban (10-2-2 record, .926 save percentage, 2.18 goals against average).
Jonathan Marchessault and David Perron will both look to continue their strong seasons for the Golden Knights. Marchessault (34 points) has tallied 13 goals and 21 assists and has recorded multiple points on 10 different occasions this year. Perron has nine goals and 20 assists to his name and has notched at least one point in 19 contests.
Over on the other bench, Toronto is 23-16 straight up (SU) and has netted 2.5 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of 20 of its contests have gone over the total, while 16 have gone under and just three have pushed. As the visiting team, the Maple Leafs are 12-11 SU so far.
The Maple Leafs have converted on 22.5 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 13th overall and it’s successfully killed off 82.3 percent of all opponent power plays.
Toronto’s skaters have been whistled for penalties 3.7 times per game this season, and 4.8 per game over their last five on the road. The teams been forced to kill penalties 8.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Frederik Andersen (31.5 saves per game) has been the main choice in goal for Toronto. Andersen owns a 20-11-1 record, and has registered a .923 save percentage and 2.64 goals against average this year.
Mitchell Marner (five goals, 24 assists) has been one of the primary offensive playmakers for the visiting Maple Leafs.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Vegas Golden Knights Betting Predictions
Predictions: SU Winner – Golden Knights, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- Toronto is 2-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while Vegas is 2-2 in shootouts.
- The under has hit in three of Vegas last five outings.
- Vegas has allowed 2.9 goals per game overall this season, but has driven that figure down to 1.5 per contest over its six-game winning streak.
- Six of Toronto’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 2-4 in those games.
