Pittsburgh Penguins vs Toronto Maple Leafs Prediction NHL Picks 10/12/24

The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Toronto Maple Leafs meet Saturday night in NHL action from the Scotiabank Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs prediction.

Pittsburgh Penguins Recap

The Pittsburgh Penguins come into this one looking to build some momentum after getting their first win of the season, improving to 1-1 on the year with a 6-3 win over Detroit in their last game. After this matchup, the Pens will head over to Montreal for a battle with the Canadiens.

Penguins Looking To Heat Up

Anthony Beauvillier has a team-high 2 goals while Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby each have a pair of assists. Erik Karlsson and Marcus Pettersson each have a goal and an assist while Kevin Hayes and Drew O’Connor each have a goal on the year as well. Kris Letang, Cody Glass, and Jesse Puljujarvi each have an assist as well with Beauvillier logging a team-high 9 shots so far. Joel Blomqvist is 1-0 with a 3.01 GAA and a .906 save percentage in goal for the Penguins while Tristan Jarry is 0-1 with a 6.00 GAA and an .850 save percentage on the year.

Why the Pittsburgh Penguins will win

• The underdogs have won seven of the Maple Leafs’ last eight games.
• The Maple Leafs have lost each of their last five games as favorites.
• The underdogs have covered the puck line in each of the Maple Leafs’ last eight games.
• The Maple Leafs have failed to cover the puck line in 14 of their last 15 games as home favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.

Toronto Maple Leafs Recap

The Toronto Maple Leafs come into this one looking to build on their first win of the season after a 4-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils last time out. After this matchup, Toronto will welcome the Los Angeles Kings to town.

Maple Leafs Trying To Keep Momentum Going

Steven Lorentz leads the Leafs with 2 points coming on a goal and an assist while Max Pacioretty, John Tavares, and Bobby McMann each have a goal as well. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jake McCabe, Max Domi, Pontus Holmberg, Conor Timmins, and David Kampf each have an assist as well on the year. In goal for Toronto, Dennis Hildeby is 1-0 with a 2.02 GAA and a .917 save percentage while Anthony Stolarz is 0-1 with a 1.05 GAA and a .963 save percentage.

Why the Toronto Maple Leafs will win

• The Maple Leafs have won each of their last eight home openers.
• The Penguins have lost each of their last nine Saturday road games.
• The Maple Leafs have covered the puck line in four of their last five games against Eastern Conference opponents.
• The Penguins have failed to cover the puck line in four of their last five games against Eastern Conference opponents.

Penguins vs. Maple Leafs Prediction

I’m backing Toronto here. Historically, the Penguins have had issues against the Leafs head-to-head, and I think I have higher hopes for Toronto to keep things going at home. I need to see that it was more than a one-off from Pittsburgh before I trust them long-term, especially with the goaltending. Give me the Leafs in this one.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Toronto -185