The Toronto Maple Leafs’ dormant power play finally erupted in Tuesday’s 5-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche, as the unit scored three times in a 1:49 span in the second period after going 1-for-18 in the previous six contests. The Leafs will look to keep the momentum going with the man advantage in Sin City against the Vegas Golden Knights tonight. Sportsbooks opened the Golden Knights as -125 home favorites with a total of 6.5.
- The total has gone UNDER in six of the Maple Leafs’ last eight games on the road (avg. combined score: 5.75).
- The Golden Knights are 1-5 SU and 0-6 ATS in their last six games as favorite.
- The Maple Leafs are 7-3 SU and ATS in their last 10 games as road underdogs.
Maple Leafs vs Golden Knights Game Center
Andersen has stood on his head of late
Toronto has been playing some excellent hockey of late, evidenced by a 6-1-1 SU mark in its last eight games to retain a slight one-point edge over third-place Boston in the Atlantic Division. Starting goaltender Frederik Andersen, who made 36 saves in his last matchup with the Golden Knights, has turned aside 133 of 143 shots during his personal four-start winning streak.
Vegas has been a streaky team in 2018-19 and is in the midst of a rough patch right now after falling in each of its previous four tilts at home while scoring just 17 goals en route to dropping six of its last eight overall. The Golden Knights’ sputtering offense hasn’t been a problem for center Paul Stastny, who’s recorded 19 points (four goals, 15 assists) in his last 19 games.
Maple Leafs have been going UNDER in road games
When the Maple Leafs hit the road, UNDERs are the story. In Toronto’s past eight road games, the UNDER is 6-2 with an average combined score of 5.8 goals. Sportsbooks have been setting the Leafs with high totals all year long but they’ve been a middle-of-the-road totals wager at 26-26-4 O/U on the year.
Toronto has been cashing as a road underdog of late, going 7-3 SU and on the puckline in its past 10 when tabbed as dogs away from home. On the flip side, the Golden Knights are 1-5 SU and 0-6 on the puckline in their previous six games as a favorite.
My pick: take the UNDER
It seems like sportsbooks automatically set totals of at least 6 or 6.5 when the Maple Leafs hit the ice, but I believe this one is going to go UNDER the high number. The Golden Knights haven’t been producing at home and the Leafs’ offense is not its usual high-scoring self right now. Take the UNDER.
