Maple Leafs at Blues 12/07/19 – Odds and NHL Betting Trends
4 years ago
by OddsShark (@OddsShark) – Sponsored Post
The Toronto Maple Leafs start a road swing with a matchup that contains some unfavorable trends and has also been a tough one for slumping star scorer Auston Matthews.
The Maple Leafs are the +115 away underdog against the -135 home favorite St. Louis Blues on the NHL odds for Saturday at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Toronto is 4-6 in its last 10 away games against the Western Conference with the total finishing UNDER seven times, whereas St. Louis is 12-4 in its last 16 home games against Eastern teams with the total finishing OVER 10 times at online sports betting sites.
The Maple Leafs are also 1-7 in their last eight away games as a moneyline underdog of +100 to +120.
Maple Leafs at Blues | OddsShark Matchup Report
The Maple Leafs, who are 13-13-4 this season, once again have a top-six forward corps that is a moving target since center Auston Matthews and right wing William Nylander will now have rookie Pontus Aberg as their linemate since Andreas Johnsson (leg) is on injured reserve. Matthews also has just one goal in seven career games against St. Louis and could have a tough matchup from Blues center Brayden Schenn.
The shuffle does mean the John Tavares-Zach Hyman-Mitch Marner trio has been reunited for Toronto, which is fifth in the NHL in five-on-five shot-attempt percentage (53.33 percent). The Maple Leafs are 11th in goals scored (3.13 per game) and 26th in goals against. On special teams, the power play ranks 14th (19.0 percent) and the penalty killing ranks 28th (75.5)
Frederik Andersen, who is 13-7-3 with a 2.56 goals-against average and .918 save percentage, should get the start as the Leafs have yet to find a reliable backup goalie.
The Blues are 18-6-6 this season, including a 6-3 record in their last nine games as a home favorite. St. Louis is more of an offense-by-committee attack with Schenn, Ryan O’Reilly and Tyler Bozak helming its top three lines and ranks 20th in the NHL in five-on-five shot-attempt percentage (48.98 percent) and 17th in goals scored (3.00).
Thanks in large part to defensemen such as Justin Faulk, Colton Parayko and Alex Pietrangelo, the Blues are fifth in goals against (2.50). The quality of the Blues’ defense and overall team play is also reflected in their boasting a sixth-ranked power play (23.6 percent) and fifth-ranked penalty killing unit (85.0).
The Blues’ primary goalie, Jordan Binnington, is 13-5-4 this season with a 2.30 goals-against average and .925 save percentage and it’s been two days since his last start.
The remainder of the Maple Leafs’ four-game, eight-day road trip includes playing the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, the Calgary Flames on Thursday and the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
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