Our NHL betting picks believe the Maple Leafs and Avalanche will once again play a high-scoring head-to-head tonight, with Auston Matthews and Nathan MacKinnon leading the way for their respective clubs.
NHL
We have just two games on the NHL betting slate tonight, including a marquee matchup between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche at Scotiabank Arena.
This matchup has produced a lot of high-scoring hockey games lately, and I believe we’ll see much of the same again tonight.
Find out why with my free Maple Leafs vs. Avalanche predictions and NHL picks for Wednesday, March 19.
My Leafs pick: Alt. Over 5.5 (-145 at Sports Interaction)
My Leafs analysis
This is the second and final meeting between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche this season. The last time these teams squared off, it was goals galore in a 7-4 track meet in favor of the Avs which saw five goals scored in the opening period. This is typically how things go when these two squads face off.
The Over is 7-2-1 in the last 10 meetings between the Leafs and Avs, with the tie being a total of seven goals in that game. This tilts have seen an average of 7.5 goals over that stretch.
Both the Avalanche and Leafs rank in the league’s Top 10 in goal-scoring, with Colorado averaging 3.34 goals per game and Toronto netting 3.21 per contest. That’s a combined average of 6.61 goals per game, providing a full goal cushion on the alternate total of 5.5 goals.
The Avs have been red hot, winning seven of their last eight games scoring four or more goals in six of those eight games.
As for the Buds, they enter tonight’s game on a high note offensively after struggling for a few weeks coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off. They scored six goals Monday night against the Calgary Flames, with Auston Matthews scoring twice and hoping to keep the strong play rolling into tonight.
Toronto has also fared well against Avs starter Mackenzie Blackwood throughout his career, facing him five times and averaging 4.52 goals per 60 with a lowly .857 SV% against, including a four-goal output the last time these teams played back on March 8.
As for Toronto’s defensive play, they rank 24th in the NHL, allowing 3.17 goals per game since the New Year with a lowly 73% penalty kill. Nathan MacKinnon & Co. should be licking their chops heading into tonight.
Alt. Over 5.5
Auston Matthews anytime goal
Nathan MacKinnon 3+ shots on goal
Matthews has scored in back-to-back games and looked like his old dominant self in his last game. Matthews has 10 goals in 15 games against the Avs in his career. Plus, his 12% shooting this season is bound to catch up to his career average of 15.9%.
For the final leg of our SGP, I’ll grab a prop from the other side and take MacKinnon to record 3+ shots on goal tonight. He ranks second in the NHL averaging 4.02 shots per game this season and has three or more shots in eight of his last 11 since returning from the 4 Nations break.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Odds courtesy of Sports Interaction
The Over is 7-2-1 over the last 10 meetings between the two clubs. Find more NHL betting trends for Maple Leafs vs. Avalanche.
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Mike DiStefano joins Covers after a successful five-year stint with TSN. Distefano hosted Leafs Lunch, a Toronto Maple Leafs-centric radio show which featured a daily best bets segment where he found the biggest and best value plays of the night. He was also a weekly staple on TSN’s flagship radio/tv show “OverDrive” as a betting analyst during their NFL picks segment #TeamAl-DogForever.
A graduate of Centennial College’s Sports Journalism program, Mike has also contributed to the Canadian Baseball Network, FanSided, and The Hockey News.
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