There is a nine-game NHL slate Tuesday, and with plenty of good games to sift through, a bet on the total stands out in a marquee matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Dallas Stars. Here’s the Maple Leafs-Stars prediction, odds and pick featuring a battle between elite forwards Mitch Marner and Jason Robertson.
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NHL Odds: Maple Leafs-Stars Odds
Maple Leafs: -115 (-1.5, +225)
Stars: -105 (+1.5, -265)
Over: 6.5 (+100)
Under: 6.5 (-120)
Mitch Marner Can’t Be Stopped
The Toronto Maple Leafs enter this contest in tremendous form, going 8-0-3 over their last 11 games. Perhaps the bigger storyline in Toronto has been the play of star winger Mitch Marner, who just recorded a point in his 19th straight game to surpass Darryl Sittler and Eddie Olczyk for the longest streak in Leafs history.
Meanwhile, superstar centerman Auston Matthews, who certainly needs no introduction as the reigning Hart Trophy winner, has also been on fire with 14 points over his last 11 games. After a slow start to the campaign, this Toronto offense is finally starting to click as one would expect.
At 5v5, the Maple Leafs rank 11th in the league in expected goals for per 60 minutes (xGF/60). However, this team may struggle to slow down the Stars offense that has been dominating lately, especially considering Toronto’s depleted blue line.
Half of the Leafs’ defensive corps is slated to miss this game as T.J. Brodie, Jake Muzzin, Jordie Benn, and Morgan Rielly are all ruled out. A thin blue line is a dangerous thing to carry into a matchup against Dallas, a team that has no problem scoring the puck.
Jason Robertson Also Can’t Be Stopped
The Dallas Stars also have a winger entering this contest amidst a long point streak as Jason Robertson has now recorded at least one point in 18 straight games. Through 25 games this year, he has now posted an astonishing 23 goals and 18 assists.
Robertson’s play is just the tip of the iceberg for a strong forward group that gets contributions all throughout the top three lines. At 5v5, the Stars rank 12th in the league in xGF/60.
This strong offensive play has catapulted the Stars into first place in the Central Division with a 14-6-5 record, with many of those games seeing high scores. Entering this matchup, there have now been seven or more total goals scored in 11 of their last 17 games.
Dallas’ offense is also backed by good defense and elite goaltending, but Toronto is a different beast to slow down. In a clash between some of the best goal scorers in the world, seven goals should not be too difficult to come by.
Final Maple Leafs-Stars Prediction & Pick
These two clubs squared off in October, a game in which the Leafs grabbed a 3-2 victory. However, both offenses are in much better form now than they were back then.
The main reason that the over is at even money is that this game also features a good goaltending matchup between Matt Murray and Jake Oettinger, who have both been excellent this season. However, Murray is likely going to have to stand on his head due to the number of injuries on Toronto’s back end.
Meanwhile, stopping the Leafs is always a difficult task for any goaltender, even for the likes of Oettinger. Over their last five contests, Toronto is averaging 3.6 goals per game.
At even money, there are too many scoring options in this game to not take a shot at the over.
Final Maple Leafs-Stars Pick: Over 6.5 (+100, DraftKings)
