Maple Leafs’ Rotten Luck May Continue in Vegas

The Toronto Maple Leafs look to put the brakes on a five-game losing streak Tuesday night as they visit the Vegas Golden Knights. Toronto dropped a 6-1 decision to Pittsburgh on Saturday in the opener of a six-game road trip that could go a long way toward determining whether Mike Babcock will still be employed as head coach.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The host Golden Knights opened at -139, but the line has shifted slightly in Toronto’s favor. The total for Tuesday’s game kicked off at 6.5; if it holds, it will mark the third straight time these teams have played to that number.

Toronto News & Notes

The Maple Leafs have chosen the most inopportune time to struggle at the defensive end of the ice, as they embark on an 11-day trip through the Western Conference having surrendered 16 goals in their last three road games. They own a -6 goal differential in eight November games and are allowing an average of 33.9 shots per game for the month (sixth-most in the NHL).

And if the back-end struggles weren’t reason enough for alarm, the Toronto offense has been noticeably absent in recent games, producing two or fewer goals in four of the last six outings. The trio of Auston Matthews, John Tavares and William Nylander has scored 11 of the team’s 21 goals in the month, with no other skater having recorded more than four points in November.

Vegas News & Notes

The Golden Knights might not have solved all of their problems in Saturday’s 6-0 whitewash of the visiting Calgary Flames, but it’s certainly a start. Vegas dominated from start to finish en route to its first win in six games and its first triumph by multiple goals since October 27. Next up is a date with a Toronto team it has beaten in four of their five meetings all-time.

The key to this one could be special teams play, given that both teams rank in the top seven league-wide in power-play chances entering the week. And if that’s the case, Vegas could have a major edge. The Golden Knights own the league’s No. 10 power-play unit (21.6 percent) and sit fourth on the penalty kill; Toronto ranks 21st and 25th, respectively.

Betting Pick: Vegas -1.5 (+165)

Vegas has dominated the head-to-head series and Toronto can’t seem to figure out what to do at either end of the ice. We like the home team to prevail on the puckline.