Free NHL Hockey Prediction: Avalanche vs. Maple Leafs NHL Odds
Looking for Colorado Avalanche Vs. Toronto Maple Leafs free hockey plays & NHL Odds? NHL betting sees the Avalanche taking on the Maple Leafs on Wednesday March 15th at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all NHL Hockey games all season long so stay tuned for more FREE daily NHL hockey predictions like this Avalanche Maple Leafs matchup.
NHL Hockey Handicapping – Avalanche vs. Toronto
(37-22-6) Colorado Avalanche vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (40-18-8)
Date: March 15 2023
Time: 7:00 PM EST
Venue: Scotiabank Arena, TOR
Hockey NHL Money Line Odds: Avalanche +130 Maple Leafs -150 (Bet Now!)
NHL Hockey Puck Line Odds: Avalanche +1.5 -185 Maple Leafs -1.5 +165
Today’s NHL Betting Total: O/U 6.5
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There are a few pundits out there who are saying this match-up has an outside chance to be a preview of this year’s Stanley Cup Final.
That being said, by the time this game rolls around, we could see the Winnipeg Jets jump ahead of the Colorado Avalanche for the final spot in the Central Division. That would mean that the Avs would drop down to one of the Wild Card slots in the west. Not exactly a fortuitous spot for Colorado as they attempt to run it back as champs.
The reason I mention the above point is to stress how important these games are down the stretch. They have a great schedule the rest of the way, mostly against teams below them in the standings, but they do have a few outliers against powerhouse teams like Toronto that could cause them trouble.
The Maple Leafs are firmly entrenched in the Atlantic Division playoff picture and will most likely faceoff with Tampa Bay in the first round again.
With all the talk about the Leafs needing to make it out of the first-round of the playoffs, it would be easy for them to look past their opponents as the season winds down.
That has to be a cause for concern for Toronto’s Head Coach in Sheldon Keefe as he tries to keep his team focused on the here and now.
Colorado still has a talented team with enough game-breakers to match-up with the boys in blue, but will it be enough?
Let’s take a look!
Colorado Avalanche
The Avalanche are coming off an 8-4 drubbing of the Montreal Canadiens at the start of a four-game road trip. The 8 goals scored were a season high for Colorado, with Arturri Lehkonen scoring twice.
Unfortunately they found out post-game that they’ll be without Lehkonen for a few weeks as he undergoes surgery for a broken finger.
They’re 3-1 through their past four games with consecutive wins and have a 19-11-1 record away from the mile high city.
Offense
On offense, the Avs are sporting a 14th ranked offense where they’re averaging 3.23 goals scored per game while their power play is operating at a 5th best 24.3% success rate.
It’s no surprise that Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar are all running at over a point per game pace. Rantanen leads the team in goals with 43, while MacKinnon is tops on the team with 81 points.
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Defense
On the back end, they have the 10th best defense with a 2.80 goals against average but will need to tighten it up on their 18th ranked penalty kill that has a 79.0% conversion rate.
From the blue line, Devon Toews leads the team in plus/minus at +24, while Makar has 55 points in 52 games so far this season.
Goaltending
Even with this being the first of a back-to-back set for the Avs it wouldn’t be that surprising to see Head Coach Jared Bednar go with start Alexandar Georgiev on both nights. They did this at the beginning of March and he has started six straight.
Georgiev has a 3-2-1 record through six starts this month with a 29-14-5 tally on the season which is paired with a 2.65 GAA and a .917 save percentage. He has won three of his last four starts but has done so while allowing 10 goals against over that stretch.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto is looking for a bounce-back outing after blowing a 2-0 lead against Buffalo en route to a 4-3 loss against the Sabres.
Overall, they are humming along with a 40-18-8 record on the season and have been great at home with a 24-7-4 tally at Scotiabank Arena.
Recently they have a 4-1 record through their last 5 on home ice and have scored at least three goals in 5 of their last 6 in their own barn.
Offense
Up front, the Maple Leafs have an 8th ranked offense that is averaging 3.42 goals scored per game.
On the man advantage, they’re operating at a 25.6% success rate which puts them third in the league in that department.
They have four players who have hit the 30-goal plateau and that are going at a point per game pace.
William Nylander leads the team with 35 goals, while Mitch Marner is first on the team with 85 points.
Defense
On the defensive side of things, they have the 7th best defense with an average of 2.70 goals against per game.
Toronto’s penalty kill ranks just outside of the top ten at 13th with an 80.7% kill rate.
They should also have Luke Schenn available to play on the blue line as he was away for the birth of his child.
Goaltending
Head Coach Sheldon Keefe commended Matt Murray’s performance recently, even though his numbers have not been great. Those numbers would be the 4 goals against in each of their last 5 with just a single win to his name during that time.
Overall on the season he has a 12-7-2 record with a 2.92 GAA and a .903 save percentage and has gotten the last two starts for the Leafs.
Colorado Avalanche vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Injury Report
- Arturri Lehkonen (COL) – OUT – Finger
- Kurtis MacDermid (COL) – OUT – Lower Body
- Darren Helm (COL) – IR – Lower Body
- Gabriel Landeskog (COL) – IR – Knee
- Pavel Francouz (COL) – OUT – Lower Body
- Josh Manson (COL) – OUT – Lower Body
- Erik Johnson (COL) – IR – Ankle
- Ryan O’Reilly (TOR) – IR – Finger
- Victor Mete (TOR) – IR – Lower Body
- Jake Muzzin (TOR) – IR – Neck
- Nicholas Robertson (TOR) – IR – Shoulder
- Carl Dahlstrom (TOR) – IR – Shoulder
Colorado Avalanche vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Betting Trends
- Avalanche are 0-4 in their last 4 vs. a team with a winning record.
- Maple Leafs are 4-1 in their last 5 vs. Central.
- Maple Leafs are 20-7 in their last 27 when their opponent scores 5 goals or more in their previous game.
- Maple Leafs are 16-6 in their last 22 vs. Western Conference.
- Maple Leafs are 8-3 in their last 11 vs. a team with a winning record.
- Maple Leafs are 37-14 in their last 51 home games.
- Favorite is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.
Free Colorado Avalanche vs. Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Prediction
These two clubs met at the end of last year with Toronto coming away with the 6-2 victory on the road. They now meet the Avs once again but with home ice advantage and have a healthier lineup than their opponents.
Add to the fact that, the Avalanche have gone 0-4 in its past four against teams with a winning record while Toronto is 8-3 through their last 11 versus teams with a record above .500.
I’m taking the Maple Leafs to get back on track and to put two points up on the board.
4* Free Colorado Avalanche vs. Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Betting Pick: Maple Leafs ML
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