New York Islanders (25-11-3) at Toronto Maple Leafs (23-14-5)
NHL Hockey: Saturday, January 4, 2020 at 7:00 pm (Scotiabank Arena)
The Line: Toronto Maple Leafs -160 / New York Islanders +144 --- Over/Under: 6 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs meet Saturday in NHL action at the Scotiabank Arena.
The New York Islanders need a win after losing five of their last eight games. The New York Islanders are averaging 2.9 goals per game and are scoring on 20 percent of their power play opportunities. Mathew Barzal leads New York with 16 goals, Brock Nelson has 16 assists and Anthony Beauvillier has 74 shots on goal. Defensively, the New York Islanders are allowing 2.6 goals per game and are killing 80.9 percent of their opponents power plays. Semyon Varlamov has given up 55 goals on 692 shots faced and Thomas Greiss has allowed 43 goals on 534 shots. The New York Islanders have allowed three or less goals in 10 of their last 13 games.
The Toronto Maple Leafs look to stay hot after winning 10 of their last 12 games. The Toronto Maple Leafs are averaging 3.5 goals per game and are scoring on 24.1 percent of their power play opportunities. Auston Matthews leads Toronto with 27 goals, Mitch Marner has 27 assists and Morgan Rielly has 113 shots on goal. Defensively, the Toronto Maple Leafs are allowing 3.2 goals per game and are killing 75.8 percent of their opponents power plays. Frederik Andersen has given up 88 goals on 1,049 shots faced and Michael Hutchinson has allowed 33 goals on 283 shots. The Toronto Maple Leafs have allowed three or less goals in nine of their last 13 games.
The Islanders are 5-0 in their last 5 games as an underdog, 5-0 in their last 5 games as a road underdog and 5-1 in their last 6 road games. The Maple Leafs are 8-1 in their last 9 games as a favorite, 5-2 in their last 7 games playing on 1 days rest and 8-1 in their last 9 overall. The under is 13-5-1 in Islanders last 19 overall. The over is 4-1 in Maple Leafs last 5 overall. The Islanders are 1-4 in the last 5 meetings in Toronto. The home team is 8-3 in the last 11 meetings. The favorite is 9-1 in the last 10 meetings.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are finally starting to put everything together and are looking more and more like a team that can make a Stanley Cup run. The Maple Leafs are a team to start watching closely if this form continues. The problem is the New York Islanders have been consistent all year and are still clearly the most profitable team in the sport despite this recent cold stretch they've run into. When I can get the most profitable team at plus money, I'm taking my chances with it.
Randy’s Pick New York Islanders +144
AUTHOR: Randy Chambers
Follow Randy Chambers on Twitter @WizardOf0dds