Stars vs Leafs Betting Odds: Dallas Visits Toronto
Stars Could Overturn NHL Odds as Underdogs
Dallas Could Be Profitable as Underdogs Here
The Dallas Stars visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on the second night of a back-to-back. The Stars vs Leafs betting odds have Dallas as a +115 underdog. Dallas will likely start Scott Wedgewood in goal.
While Toronto seems like the likelier winner here, the Stars are 4-0-2 when playing without rest and Wedgewood plays better on the road. The total of 6.5 may also be too low, given Dallas’s previous results under these conditions.
Stars vs Maple Leafs 
Day/Time:
Records: Stars (30-13-6)/Maple Leafs (25-15-8)
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON
Streaming: Watch Live Sports
Dallas Can Exorcise Demons in Toronto
The Stars vs Leafs betting odds put Dallas in a tough spot as the Western Conference team is in the middle of an East Coast road trip. On top of that, the Stars have lost five straight NHL games against Toronto and are averaging just 1.2 goals in these meetings.
Wedgewood has also been lit up in five games against Toronto: a 3.95 goals-against average (GAA). But buck these trends.
The recent form could be a better indicator of success. In Dallas’s case, the Stars are 5-3-1 when visiting an Eastern Conference opponent. Wedgewood has a 5-1-3 record on the road with a solid 91.4% save percentage (SV%) and 2.73 GAA. These are not brilliant. But there’s enough to make Dallas the NHL pick today.
“On a back-to-back, it’s always hard, but there’s no excuse,” said Stars forward Jason Robertson following Dallas’s loss to the Islanders, the last time they played on a back-to-back. “I thought we played pretty well, and Wedgy kept us in there, and we just fell a little short.”
Wedgewood stopped 25 of the 28 shots he faced but was outdone by Ilya Sorokin who stopped 41 of Dallas’s 43 shots. No biggie. Sorokin is a perennial Vezina Trophy contender. Ilya Samsonov is far from that.
The goaltender is embattled this NHL season and was even placed on waivers for his poor performances. He has since rebounded and is 3-2-0 with a 92.9% SV% in his last five starts. Against Dallas, he’s stopped 50 of the 53 shots he’s faced in two starts.
If Samsonov can stay in form, Toronto is the right side to bet. But if he can’t, betting Dallas and ‘over’ 6.5 goals would be the right call.
Totals Trending ‘Under’ Given Dallas’s Shortcomings
Dallas has been snakebitten against Toronto, offensively. That’s why it has struggled to play the Leafs and why five of their last six totals went under. But 14 of Toronto’s home games have gone over the total this season.
So the Stars vs Leafs betting odds have a total of 6.5 despite the low scores between these hockey teams.
Toronto is averaging over 3.7 goals per game at home but is also giving up nearly 3.5 in return. A lot of that has been due to poor goaltending. But with Samsonov seemingly turning a corner, the total could just go under again. NHL scores have either gone under or pushed in six of Toronto’s last eight games.
But Toronto also only went 4-4 in these contests due to some offensive issues on its end. The Leafs were held to three goals or fewer in five of their last eight games. At home, they scored two goals, one goal, and two goals in their last three games.
In Dallas’s case, offense has not been the issue when playing without rest. Four of the six games they played on the second night of back-to-back went over their totals. Only the Islanders and Blackhawks, who rank 24th and 31st in goals per game, respectively, had totals that went ‘under.’
Both Toronto and Dallas have shaky spots on the NHL power rankings, and it’s due to goaltending. It’s exemplified in this game as things can go awry, given the potent scorers on each side.
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