Stars vs Maple Leafs – NHL Spread, Preview and Picks

Stars vs Maple Leafs – NHL Spread, Preview and Picks Week 20

Written by on February 13, 2020

The Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs will both be looking to extend their winning ways when they square off in a matchup of legitimate Stanley Cup championship hopefuls Thursday night. Now, with the Leafs looking to take care of business at home and the Stars looking for the road upset, let’s find out which team is offering the best value against their NHL Odds.

Stars vs Maple Leafs – NHL Spread, Preview and Picks

Why Bet On Dallas?

The Stars have won two straight and four of their last six including a convincing 4-1 smackdown of Carolina on Tuesday night. Team captain Jamie Benn recorded his sixth career hat trick to lead the way to victory.

“When he gets going like that, he’s a force,” Stars interim coach Rick Bowness said afterward.

The Stars are averaging an uninspiring 2.7 goals per game to rank 25th in scoring, but Dallas also limits the opposition to just 2.5 goals per game to rank a stellar third in goals allowed. The Stars have gone an impressive 17-9-1-1 on the road this season.

  • Stars are 6-1 in their last 7 Thursday games.
  • Stars are 16-5 in their last 21 vs. a team with a winning record.
  • Stars are 9-3 in their last 12 after allowing 2 goals or less in their previous game.
  • Stars are 8-3 in their last 11 games as a road underdog.
  • Stars are 9-4 in their last 13 vs. Eastern Conference.
  • Stars are 2-5 in their last 7 when their opponent allows 2 goals or less in their previous game.
  • Stars are 1-4 in their last 5 games playing on 1 days rest.

Why Bet On Toronto?

The Maple Leafs have gone 5-3 over their last eight games and enter this matchup coming off a hard-fought 3-2 overtime win over Arizona on Tuesday night. Zach Hyman scored a pair of goals to lead the way to victory.

“He continues to be a force, a driver, he’s all around the net. He’s also been making plays and playing with lots of confidence with the puck as well,” Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said of Hyman.

Toronto averages an encouraging 3.5 goals per game to rank third in scoring, but the Maple Leafs also give up 3.2 goals per game to rank 25th in goals allowed. Toronto has gone 15-7-3-4 at home this season.

  • Maple Leafs are 4-0 in their last 4 vs. Western Conference.
  • Maple Leafs are 5-2 in their last 7 vs. Central.

Stars vs Maple Leafs Expert Analysis and Prediction

The Maple Leafs smacked Dallas around en route to a 5-3 road win on Jan. 29 and now that Toronto is back at home and desperate for a win, I’m going to encourage hockey betting enthusiasts everywhere to back the Leafs to get it done in a hard-fought street fight kind of matchup on Thursday night.

While Dallas has gone 4-1 in their last 5 games as an underdog and 7-3 in their last 10 road games, the Stars have also gone a dismal 1-6 in their last 7 road dates against Toronto. Conversely, the Leafs are a perfect 4-0 in their last four games against teams from the Western Conference. I like Toronto to get it done, thanks to their superior offense and a bit of desperation.

Pick: Toronto 3 Dallas 2