Before the NHL season begins, pundits take a crack at who they believe will be the best teams in the league, and who they think will be looking at a top draft pick once the season is over. The general consensus was that the Toronto Maple Leafs would be looking at the first pick overall, and they are certainly still in the running for that award. There were also plenty of people who thought that the Washington Capitals might be among the best in the league, but I’m not sure anyone believed they would be as good as they have been. The Capitals are running away with things at the moment, and you have to believe that they are going to be big favorites when they host the Leafs on Wednesday night. This may be a good chance for you to bump up your bankroll, so be sure to check out out NHL betting lines.Before going any further with the preview, let’s take a look back at the most recent meeting between these two, which was back in November 2015.

Toronto vs Washington NHL Odds & Game Info

When: Wednesday, March 2 at 7 PM EST Where: Verizon Center, Washington DC TV: TSN Radio: CHUM and WFED Live Stream: NHL.tv NHL Odds: TBA

Why Bbet on the Toronto Maple Leafs

It has not been a very good year for the Maple Leafs (21-30-10), but it’s also an outcome that is not at all surprising. They made a great move by hiring Mike Babcock as their new head coach in the offseason, but it was well-known that it was probably going to take a couple of seasons for him to get rid of the dead wood and start turning things around. The Leafs come into this one having gone just 2-7-1 in their last 10 games, and they have already lost both of their previous meetings with the Capitals this season. Toronto are just 12-19-2 on the road this season, and have lost their last 2 visits to the nation’s capital. The Toronto maple Leafs are averaging 2.3 GPG, and are giving up 2.9 GPG so far this season.

Why Bet on the Washington Capitals

The Capitals (45-12-4) have emerged as the team to beat this season, and are almost certainly going to be the team that wins the President’s Trophy for the best record in the NHL. Surprisingly, though, they have dropped 2 of their last 3 games, which is not the sort of run that they have experienced very often this season. Their home record of 24-5-2 is one that makes teams tremble when they have to skate into the Verizon Center, as does the fact that the Caps have the best goals per game average in the league this season. This is a team that can get it done at both ends of the ice, though, so the Leafs had better be ready to take advantage of any opportunities this stingy defense gives them. The Caps are averaging 3.3 GPG, and are giving up 2.3 GPG.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

The Leafs have played the Capitals pretty tight on their last 2 meetings, and actually sent one of the games to a shootout. I think this one will be a little clearer cut for the Caps, as they continue their surge towards 100 points on the season.Toronto Maple Leafs 1 Washington Capitals 5