<p>The Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals will complete their season series Saturday at Scotiabank Arena. The Capitals won the last meeting in Toronto 3-1, but fell 4-3 in overtime on home ice in November.</p>
<p>Toronto will be playing the second leg of a travelling back-to-back in this matchup, after putting together a high quality 5-2 win in Detroit on Friday. With Anthony Stolarz still sidelined due to injury, Matt Murray will make his second start of the season in this matchup.</p>
<p>The Capitals will receive a notable boost Saturday, as captain Alex Ovechkin is set to to return to the lineup. Washington went 10-5-1 without Ovechkin in the lineup, and are 12-5-0 on the road this season.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ll detail the relevant game notes and outline my favourite betting angles below.</p>
<h2 class="mb-5 text-2xl font-bold">Capitals vs. Leafs Odds</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong class="text-lg font-bold">Capitals Moneyline Odds:</strong> -110</li>
<li><strong class="text-lg font-bold">Leafs Moneyline Odds:</strong> -110</li>
<li><strong class="text-lg font-bold">Puck Line Odds:</strong> Capitals +1.5 (-275), Maple Leafs -1.5 (+225)</li>
<li><strong class="text-lg font-bold">Game Total:</strong> 6 goals (over -110, under -110)</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Washington Capitals</strong></p>
<p>After spending 17 games without Ovechkin in the lineup, the Capitals still rank first in the Eastern Conference in points percentage (.706). They rank second in the NHL in goal differential, and have played the third most difficult schedule in the league based on opponents points percentage thus far.</p>
<p>Ovechkin has had a brilliant start to the campaign with 15 goals and 25 points in 18 games, and chances are we will really see the Capitals&#8217; priced a truly elite team with him back in the mix.</p>
<p>During Ovechkin&#8217;s absence, the Capitals&#8217; power play was significantly more effective, as it succeeded on 27.7 percent of opportunities after being one of the league&#8217;s worst units earlier on in the campaign. With Jakob Chychrun taking over Ovechkin&#8217;s spot, the top-unit was far less static, benefitted from being less predictable along with Chychrun&#8217;s vastly superior mobility compared to Ovechkin.</p>
<p>Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery kept Chychrun on the top-unit at Friday&#8217;s practice, which seems to be a logical decision based on the unit&#8217;s recent success. It will be interesting to see if the Capitals&#8217; unit still features the same level of interchangeability with Ovechkin back in the mix, or if they will mainly settle in to the stale 1-3-1 which has struggled throughout most of the last several seasons.</p>
<p>A huge part of the Capitals&#8217; overall success has been due to the excellent play of their deep defensive core in all three zones, which has helped to power the offensive overachievement of talents like Dylan Strome, Connor McMichael and Aliaksei Protas. They do a great job of helping drive sustained spells of possession in the offensive zone, and manage the puck well below the goal-line to help get plays going in the other direction.</p>
<p>The Capitals have also received quality goaltending from Logan Thompson, who will start in this matchup. Thompson holds a .914 save percentage and 2.40 GAA in 17 appearances this season.</p>
<p><strong>Toronto Maple Leafs:</strong></p>
<p>The holiday break may have come at a good time for the Leafs, who snapped a two-game losing skid with a strong win over the Detroit Red Wings yesterday evening. The Red Wings did hold an 18-9 edge in high danger chances, but the Leafs played almost the entirety of the contest up multiple goals.</p>
<p>Perhaps the most positive sign was the level of offensive creativity on displayed on a number of the Leafs goals, which helped Mitch Marner net his first hat-trick of the season. The Leafs&#8217; have struggled to create offence at even strength to some extent relative to expectations of their highly skilled roster, but last night&#8217;s performance was certainly a step in the right direction.</p>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2110" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="330">From a defensive perspective the Leafs were also better than we have seen of late, and it will be interesting to see if that continues in a tougher matchup Saturday, as the Red Wings have been one of the worst offensive teams in the league this season.</div>
<div data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2110" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="330"></div>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2110" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="330">Over the last 13 games the Leafs&#8217; have allowed 3.53 xGA/60, which is the fifth worst mark in the NHL. A big part of their improved goals against average under head coach Craig Berube has been due to the level of goaltending the team has received from Stolarz and Joseph Woll, and that point will become more clear if Murray fails to perform at the same level.</div>
<div data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2110" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="330"></div>
<div data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2110" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="330">Murray allowed three goals on 27 shots in his season debut versus Buffalo, and holds a .931 save percentage in eight appearances with the Toronto Marlies this season.</div>
<p><strong>Best Bets for Capitals vs Leafs:</strong></p>
<p>The Leafs played well in Friday&#8217;s win over the Red Wings, and while a back-to-back spot isn&#8217;t ideal, shaking the rust off with a crisp performance last night could prove beneficial in this particular spot. The Capitals have been slightly less dominant of late defensively, and I think we will see the Leafs&#8217; generate a strong offensive output in this matchup.</p>
<p>The Capitals&#8217; feature a deep offensive core though, and will provide a tough test for a Leafs team that has not been nearly as sharp defensively the last month as we saw earlier on in the campaign. Even if the Leafs do ultimately put together a relatively strong defensive performance, it&#8217;s quite possible that Murray will provide a below average performance in goal.</p>
<p>Often times when two good teams come together we do see well-structured games which feature lower score-lines. That was the case when these two sides met on December 6th, but in this spot it seems more likely we see a matchup like we saw in Washington when the Leafs won 4-3.</p>
<p>A total of six looks to be a little low to me, and I see value backing the game to go over six goals at -120 or better.</p>
<p><strong>Best Bet: Over 6 -110 (Sports Interaction, Play to -120)</strong></p>


The Toronto Maple Leafs and Washington Capitals will complete their season series Saturday at Scotiabank Arena. The Capitals won the last meeting in Toronto 3-1, but fell 4-3 in overtime on home ice in November.

Toronto will be playing the second leg of a travelling back-to-back in this matchup, after putting together a high quality 5-2 win in Detroit on Friday. With Anthony Stolarz still sidelined due to injury, Matt Murray will make his second start of the season in this matchup.

The Capitals will receive a notable boost Saturday, as captain Alex Ovechkin is set to to return to the lineup. Washington went 10-5-1 without Ovechkin in the lineup, and are 12-5-0 on the road this season.

I'll detail the relevant game notes and outline my favourite betting angles below.
<h2 class="mb-5 text-2xl font-bold">Capitals vs. Leafs Odds</h2>
<ul>
 	<li><strong class="text-lg font-bold">Capitals Moneyline Odds:</strong> -110</li>
 	<li><strong class="text-lg font-bold">Leafs Moneyline Odds:</strong> -110</li>
 	<li><strong class="text-lg font-bold">Puck Line Odds:</strong> Capitals +1.5 (-275), Maple Leafs -1.5 (+225)</li>
 	<li><strong class="text-lg font-bold">Game Total:</strong> 6 goals (over -110, under -110)</li>
</ul>
<strong>Washington Capitals</strong>

After spending 17 games without Ovechkin in the lineup, the Capitals still rank first in the Eastern Conference in points percentage (.706). They rank second in the NHL in goal differential, and have played the third most difficult schedule in the league based on opponents points percentage thus far.

Ovechkin has had a brilliant start to the campaign with 15 goals and 25 points in 18 games, and chances are we will really see the Capitals' priced a truly elite team with him back in the mix.

During Ovechkin's absence, the Capitals' power play was significantly more effective, as it succeeded on 27.7 percent of opportunities after being one of the league's worst units earlier on in the campaign. With Jakob Chychrun taking over Ovechkin's spot, the top-unit was far less static, benefitted from being less predictable along with Chychrun's vastly superior mobility compared to Ovechkin.

Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery kept Chychrun on the top-unit at Friday's practice, which seems to be a logical decision based on the unit's recent success. It will be interesting to see if the Capitals' unit still features the same level of interchangeability with Ovechkin back in the mix, or if they will mainly settle in to the stale 1-3-1 which has struggled throughout most of the last several seasons.

A huge part of the Capitals' overall success has been due to the excellent play of their deep defensive core in all three zones, which has helped to power the offensive overachievement of talents like Dylan Strome, Connor McMichael and Aliaksei Protas. They do a great job of helping drive sustained spells of possession in the offensive zone, and manage the puck well below the goal-line to help get plays going in the other direction.

The Capitals have also received quality goaltending from Logan Thompson, who will start in this matchup. Thompson holds a .914 save percentage and 2.40 GAA in 17 appearances this season.

<strong>Toronto Maple Leafs:</strong>

The holiday break may have come at a good time for the Leafs, who snapped a two-game losing skid with a strong win over the Detroit Red Wings yesterday evening. The Red Wings did hold an 18-9 edge in high danger chances, but the Leafs played almost the entirety of the contest up multiple goals.

Perhaps the most positive sign was the level of offensive creativity on displayed on a number of the Leafs goals, which helped Mitch Marner net his first hat-trick of the season. The Leafs' have struggled to create offence at even strength to some extent relative to expectations of their highly skilled roster, but last night's performance was certainly a step in the right direction.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2110" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="330">From a defensive perspective the Leafs were also better than we have seen of late, and it will be interesting to see if that continues in a tougher matchup Saturday, as the Red Wings have been one of the worst offensive teams in the league this season.</div>
<div data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2110" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="330"></div>
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2110" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="330">Over the last 13 games the Leafs' have allowed 3.53 xGA/60, which is the fifth worst mark in the NHL. A big part of their improved goals against average under head coach Craig Berube has been due to the level of goaltending the team has received from Stolarz and Joseph Woll, and that point will become more clear if Murray fails to perform at the same level.</div>
<div data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2110" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="330"></div>
<div data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2110" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="330">Murray allowed three goals on 27 shots in his season debut versus Buffalo, and holds a .931 save percentage in eight appearances with the Toronto Marlies this season.</div>
<strong>Best Bets for Capitals vs Leafs:</strong>

The Leafs played well in Friday's win over the Red Wings, and while a back-to-back spot isn't ideal, shaking the rust off with a crisp performance last night could prove beneficial in this particular spot. The Capitals have been slightly less dominant of late defensively, and I think we will see the Leafs' generate a strong offensive output in this matchup.

The Capitals' feature a deep offensive core though, and will provide a tough test for a Leafs team that has not been nearly as sharp defensively the last month as we saw earlier on in the campaign. Even if the Leafs do ultimately put together a relatively strong defensive performance, it's quite possible that Murray will provide a below average performance in goal.

Often times when two good teams come together we do see well-structured games which feature lower score-lines. That was the case when these two sides met on December 6th, but in this spot it seems more likely we see a matchup like we saw in Washington when the Leafs won 4-3.

A total of six looks to be a little low to me, and I see value backing the game to go over six goals at -120 or better.

<strong>Best Bet: Over 6 -110 (Sports Interaction, Play to -120)</strong>

NHL Betting Preview (Dec. 28): Capitals vs. Maple Leafs Odds

Max Domi, Morgan Rielly and Nick Robertson of the Maple Leafs.

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