The Toronto Maple Leafs catch a bit of a break on Wednesday when Nashville makes its only visit of the season as the Predators will be without one of their leading scorers due to suspension. The NHL betting lines favored Leafs will gladly take that.
Curtis McElhinney stopped 15 of 16 shots. He came into the game after Ducks forward Corey Perry hit Frederik Andersen in the head with his skate. The Leafs backup netminder has now rattled off three consecutive victories. He has a 6-4-0 record 2.27 goals-against-average and a .932 save percentage this season.
Coach Mike Babcock thinks that Andersen will be available for Wednesday’s game. Andersen was back on the ice for Tuesday’s practice and he went through his regular routine. When Andersen was asked if he would be ready to go Wednesday he said: “We’ll see.”
How to Bet Predators at Leafs NHL Betting Lines & Expert Analysis
When: Wednesday, 7:30 PM ET Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto TV: NHL Center Ice, FSSM, TSN Radio: 102.5 FM (Nashville) / Sportsnet 590 (Toronto) Opening NHL Betting Lines: Maple Leafs (-105)Last Season
First meeting in 2016-17, with the Maple Leafs going to Nashville on March 22. Last year, the Leafs won both. The first was 6-2 at home. James van Riemsdyk scored three goals with an assist, Tyler Bozak had four assists and Mitch Marner had a goal and set up two more. Leo Komarov and William Nylander also scored. James Neal and Viktor Arvidsson scored for the Predators. Frederik Andersen made 32 saves for Toronto, and Marek Mazanec stopped 26-of-32 shots for Nashville. No. 1 goaltender Pekka Rinne was out with a minor injury. In Nashville, the Leafs won 3-1 as Andersen made 29 saves. Auston Matthews and van Riemsdyk each scored a power-play goal, and Connor Brown added an empty-net goal with 58.4 seconds left. Filip Forsberg had the lone Nashville goal. Rinne was in net this time.Why Bet on Nashville’s NHL Betting Lines?
The Predators enter on a three-game winning streak – they are 9-1-2 in the past 12 games — and have scored exactly five goals in each. On Monday, they started a four-game road trip with a 5-4 overtime win at the NY Islanders. Roman Josi tallied the game-winning goal. He has produced 30 points in 48 matches this season. Kevin Fiala scored back-to-back goals just 1:28 apart in the first period to give the Predators a 2-1 lead at the time. Nashville ended up trailing 4-2 in the game before they scored three unanswered goals, including Josi’s game-winner in overtime. Fiala finished the game with a plus-3 rating and two shots on goal in 15:51 of ice time. The 21-year-old is up to 17 goals and 35 points in 50 games this season. Calle Jarnkrok and Ryan Johansen also found the back of the net on Monday night. Nick Bonino registered two assists. He earned primary assists on goals by Fiala and Josi. Bonino didn’t have a point in his previous five games. Pekka Rinne allowed four goals on 28 shots. The victory extended Rinne’s personal winning streak to eight games. He has a 27-8-3 record with a 2.32 goals-against-average and a .926 save percentage this season. Rinne is in the Vezina Trophy conversation. Nashville’s second-leading scorer, left wing Filip Forsberg (16 goals, 22 assists), began a three-game suspension on Monday. He was disciplined by the league office for interference on New York Rangers forward Jimmy Vesey in Saturday’s game. Colton Sissons replaced him on the top line with Ryan Johansen and Viktor Arvidsson on Monday.Team Statistics
Offense- Goals: 3.16
- Shots: 31.14
- PP/PK Percentage: 23.89
- Goals: 2.57
- Shots: 31.90
- PP/PK Percentage: 17.89
Why Bet on Toronto’a NHL Betting Lines?
The Leafs won for the fifth time in six games Monday, 7-4 over Anaheim, the Leafs’ most goals scored since the calendar flipped to 2018. Auston Matthews scored two goals and one assist. Matthews’ first goal opened the scoring at the 6:32 mark of the first period, while his second tally made it 6-4 for his team in the third frame. He also registered an assist on Zach Hyman’s empty-netter. Matthews finished the game with a plus-5 rating and four shots on goal in 16:19 of ice time. He has 10 points in his last eight contests and is up to 25 goals and 43 points in 45 games this season. William Nylander generated two goals and added an assist. Nylander scored the game-winning goal a third-period breakaway. He has collected three goals and six helpers in the last seven outings to give him 41 points on the season. Jake Gardiner chipped in three assists. Gardiner didn’t have a point in his previous two appearances, but he has been red hot since mid-January with 13 helpers over his past nine games. Nazem Kadri extended his point streak to six straight games with two assists. Kadri has worked well alongside Mitch Marner, who has four goals and one assist in the last six games.
Curtis McElhinney stopped 15 of 16 shots. He came into the game after Ducks forward Corey Perry hit Frederik Andersen in the head with his skate. The Leafs backup netminder has now rattled off three consecutive victories. He has a 6-4-0 record 2.27 goals-against-average and a .932 save percentage this season.
Coach Mike Babcock thinks that Andersen will be available for Wednesday’s game. Andersen was back on the ice for Tuesday’s practice and he went through his regular routine. When Andersen was asked if he would be ready to go Wednesday he said: “We’ll see.”
Team Statistics
Offense- Goals: 3.25
- Shots: 31.65
- PP/PK Percentage: 20.78
- Goals: 2.80
- Shots: 33.64
- PP/PK Percentage: 17.58
