The Red Wings have lost by at least two goals in 10 of their last 12 games. Can the Maple Leafs beat them by multiple goals again?
There are 13 games on the NHL slate throughout the day today. The Sabres hope to get center Jack Eichel back and end their three-game losing streak as they host the Kings in a matinee game. Plus, the Lightning and Capitals meet in a rematch of the 2018 Eastern Conference finals and the sputtering Oilers hope to hand the Canadiens their first loss on their ongoing seven-game road trip.
There’s plenty to wager on, but let’s take a closer look at two games in particular. Here are my two best bets for Saturday:
Detroit Red Wings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs: Leafs -1.5 (-115)
This season has been an utter disaster for the Red Wings. Although expectations weren’t that high to begin with, they’ve been borderline historically bad this season. They sit at the bottom of the NHL standings with a 9-24-3 record and are walking into Toronto to face a team that’s won three in a row and five of six.
The Maple Leafs have found their scoring touch as of late, potting 26 goals over their last six games. They’ve only allowed more than three goals in a game once in their last eight and the Red Wings come in with the second-fewest goals scored per game at 2.19. Detroit goalie Jonathan Bernier had a nice little two-game winning streak last week, but comes into this matchup against his former team with 35 goals allowed in his last 11 games.
There is some risk associated with this game for Toronto, however. They played last night against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden and will start the winless Michael Hutchinson in net. But even with all of that going against them they should be able to pull out a multi-goal victory. The Red Wings have lost by at least two goals in 10 of their last 12 games, including a 6–0 throttling by Toronto on Nov. 27.
St. Louis Blues vs. San Jose Sharks: Blues (-130)
The defending Stanley Cup champs roll into San Jose riding high on a four-game winning streak. The Sharks on the other hand, have exactly one win in December and are 1-6-1 in their last eight. Many of their issues this season—aside from less-than-expected blue line production and recovering from the loss of Joe Pavelski—can be blamed on goaltender Martin Jones’s horrendous play.
Jones’s save percentage for the season is a paltry .888 and it’s even worse in December. He has a 4.64 goals-against average and an .853 save percentage this month. Although the Blues are right around league average in scoring this season, they’ve picked up the offense a little more lately with 15 goals in their last four games. Even if San Jose and their league-leading penalty killing unit stifles St. Louis on the man-advantage, it’s hard to imagine containing them at even strength the way the Sharks have defended this season. Expect the Blues to extend their winning streak and the Sharks to continue sinking down the Pacific Division standings.
Season Record: 16-13-1 (+2.56 units)
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