NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs vs Vegas Golden Knights Match-Up Odds
The Leafs put a five-game win streak on the line in Vegas against the depleted Knights
Another year brings the same hurdles for the Vegas Golden Knights (32-18-6, 70 points) as injuries take their toll on the Stanley Cup Champions. They face a red-hot Toronto Maple Leafs (31-16-8, 70 points) nine points behind the Boston Bruins for the lead in the Atlantic Division.
Current NHL betting lines have the Golden Knights as a -115 home favorite after opening at -120. The total is 6 (over -115), which is a number that hasn’t moved. Puck drop is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT and can be seen on SCRIPPS. Let’s start our Leafs vs Knights matchup odds preview with our first stop with Toronto.
Leafs vs Knights 
Day/Time:
Location: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Streaming: NHLPP|ESPN+
Top Goal For Knights: Stop Mathews
Wednesday night marked the fastest any player in 28 years had reached the 50-goal mark when NHL goal leader Auston Mathews did it in just 54 games when his power-play goal gave the Maple Leafs a 2-0 lead early in the second period against the Arizona Coyotes.
Toronto will face stiffer competition tonight when Toronto invades The Fortress. We have Toronto 8th in our recent NHL power rankings, but there’s no doubt that Sheldon Keefe’s team has as much firepower as any in the league with a top line that will feature two 30-goal scorers when the postseason starts (Mitch Marner 22 goals, 46 assist, 68 points) and perhaps two 100-point forwards.
Second-line winger William Nylander could be the third Leaf with 100 points, needing just 26 points in his team’s final 27 points. To put the Leafs’ scoring depth in perspective, John Tavares centers the third line, and he’ll likely have 25-30 goals. To make matters worse for Vegas, Morgan Reilly will be back after serving a 5-game suspension.
It’s That Time Of Year Again
It borders on comical how hockey teams, and by teams, we mean Edmonton Oiler fans specifically, seem to think that when the Golden Knights put top players on LTIR, it’s a sinister plot to free up cap space as the the trade deadline approaches.
With Vegas hanging on to the second spot in the Pacific Division by a thumbnail and a playoff spot by 10 points, this isn’t when GM Kelly McCrimmon feels so comfortable about his team’s postseason position that he can afford to have Jack Eichel and Mark Stone on LTIR no matter how much cap space it frees up. Eichel did have lower-body surgery that will keep him out for at least another week.
We witnessed the NHL injury in person against the Boston Bruins, so we can put the Pilers fans at ease by telling them that Eichel’s injury is very real. You do have to give McCrimmon and President George McPhee credit. They have built enough depth where they can still compete with the best in the league as we’ll see tonight.
We found that out in San Jose when fourth-liner Mason Morelli scored his first goal of the NHL season after being called up from Henderson. The Golden Knights missed the postseason just once since becoming a franchise in 2017, and that season (2021), they were a 94-point team while battling mass injuries. Let’s wind down our Maple Leafs vs Knights matchup odds preview with our free NHL pick.
Pros on Leafs and Over
It’s not a surprise, but early betting patterns show that professional bettors, or bigger wagers, will be on the Leafs with 56% on the money showing Toronto on their tickets. As we mentioned before they have pushed the number in favor of the Maple Leafs but 61% of the tickets are on Vegas which may represent small local action.
The eye-opener comes when we see 82% of the wagers on the over but that has yet to be enough to move the number or juice. We are with the pros here. No matter how much quality depth the Knights have assembled, they’ll have to stop a powerhouse, and until they get their horses back, we don’t think they’ll be on the same level. Take the Toronto Maple Leafs (-105) to steal a victory in Vegas.
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