The Pittsburgh Penguins have chased down the Washington Capitals and overtaken them for the lead in the Metropolitan Division, thanks to a three-game winning streak and their grabbing points in eight of their last ten games. They now have 80 points, one more than the Capitals, and they still hold a game in hand. On Thursday night they head north across the border to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are tied with Florida for third place in the Atlantic Division. Both teams have 70 points, but Florida has a game in hand on the Leafs. Both the Penguins and the Maple Leafs, have exciting offenses, but the Penguins have the edge in terms of experience. Can the Leafs pull off a home win? Or will the Penguins keep their hot streak going? We have your NHL sports betting preview right here. Let’s see how the NHL odds will be for the Penguins vs Maple Leafs.
Penguins vs Maple Leafs 2020 NHL Game Preview & Betting Odds
- When: Thursday, February 20, 2020, 7:00 pm ET
- Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto
- TV: ESPN+
- Radio: WXDX 105.9 FM Pittsburgh / CJCL 590 AM Toronto
- Live Stream: ESPN+
- NHL Odds: Toronto -130 / Pittsburgh +108 / O/U 6.5
Why should you bet on Pittsburgh?
The Pittsburgh Penguins have won three in a row since losing to Tampa Bay on February 11. In those three wins, they have outscored Montreal, Detroit and Toronto by a combined score of 14-4. They beat the Leafs, 5-2, on Tuesday in the first game of a home-and-home series, as their high-flying offense simply overwhelmed a Maple Leafs team still trying to figure out their defense in the aftermath of the Mike Babcock firing.
In that win, Sidney Crosby had a goal and three assists. Bryan Rust had a goal and two assists, and Jason Zucker, Teddy Blueger and Anthony Angello all found the back of the net. Tristan Jarry picked up 34 saves, winning his 13th game in his last 17 starts. Evgeni Malkin missed the game, getting a late scratch because of illness. Malkin is the Penguins’ leading scorer with 58 points on the season, but he had to leave during pregame warmups. That makes 34 career games with four or more points for Crosby, who leads all active players. He returned on January 14 after a 28-game absence due to core muscle surgery, and he has seven goals and 16 assists in the 13 games the Penguins have played since then. The Leafs need to find more of an answer for him when the series shifts to Canada.
Why should you put your money on Toronto?
Toronto comes in having lost three of four. They fell to Dallas at home, 3-2, on February 13, and then won in Ottawa two nights later. They followed that up with a 5-2 loss in Buffalo and that 5-2 loss to Pittsburgh, the last coming on Tuesday. The team has not exactly been hurting for goals, putting in two in each of the three losses and four in the win over the Senators, but the problems have come on defense, as they have been giving up too many plum chances.
In the loss to Pittsburgh, Auston Matthews returned to the lineup, scoring his 43rd goal of the season. Kyle Clifford scored his first goal as a Maple Leaf; he came over from the Los Angeles Kings via trade. Frederik Andersen only made 19 saves for Toronto; in his last three starts, he has permitted 13 goals, although that has had more to do with issues in the defense than with his own shortcomings. The Leafs conceded three power-play goals, so they will have to work harder to avoid power plays in the rematch. The Penguins have nine power-play goals in their last eight games.
Penguins vs Maple Leafs Final Score Prediction
Given the lack of intensity that Toronto has shown over their last couple of weeks, and given the roll that the Penguins are on, it’s hard to see the Leafs getting a rout. With that said, it’s hard to win both ends of a back-to-back, and the Leafs have the talent to play better. I see Toronto rebounding and winning, 4-3.
