1-0 last night with a winner on the Blues as Tarasenko wrapped things up in a shootout with his second point on the night, earning a well-deserved first star of the game.
Three picks for tonight, one of our own plus two system picks at the bottom of the email.
Toronto Maple Leafs @ Arizona Coyotes: MAPLE LEAFS 2.00
Risk: 2 Units | Win: 2 Units (Members Only Pick)
Risk: 2 Units | Win: 2 Units (Members Only Pick)
The Toronto Maple Leafs have put together a three game winning streak, defeating the Sabres (4-0), The Blue Jackets (4-1) and the Blackhawks on Saturday (3-2). As you can see, the Maple Leafs outscored their opponents 11-3 in their last three games. Toronto is now 6-4-1 on the season and a near-perfect 3-0-1 on the road. The Leafs are scoring 2.90 goals per game overall (11th) but note that when playing on the road the Leafs are scoring 3.75 goals per game, while their defense allows just 1.75 goals against per game when playing on the road. Overall the Leafs are 15th on defense allowing 2.54 GA/GP. The Coyotes offense is ranked 20th overall today with just 2.54 goals per game, while their defense allows the most goals of any team in the NHL right now (30th), with an average of 3.73 goals against per game. Lack of scoring + Lack of defense= trouble. Scoring increases slightly for the Coyotes at Home (3.00 goals per game when playing at Home), however they have allowed 3.80 goals against per game during their five games at the Gila River Arena this season. The Coyotes have one of the worst penalty kill units in the League, ranked 27th overall with a 74.3 PK%; the Leafs are 20th overall on the power play (16.7%) however they have hit a 20% success rate on the man advantage when playing on the road. The Leafs penalty kill also improves on the road, as they are 16th overall with a 81.0 PK%, which improves to 88.2% when playing Away. Jonathan Bernier is probable for Toronto tonight with his record of 3-3-1, a 2.57 GAA and a .917 SV%. Mike Smith is probable for the Coyotes tonight and has had a rough go so far this season with a losing record of 2-6-0, accompanied by a 3.84 GAA and a .873 SV%. Mike has lost all of his last three starts, allowing 12 goals in his last three games, while the Coyotes were only able to score four of their own. The Leafs have the edge on offense and defense, which includes a superior goaltender. I see no reason why the Leafs can’t extend their win streak to four tonight against the Coyotes.
System Picks (Members Only)
Calgary Flames @ Washington Capitals: OVER 5.5 Goals 2.15
Risk: 2 Units | Win: 2.30 Units
Detroit Red Wings @ Ottawa Senators: OVER 5.5 Goals 2.21
Risk: 2 Units | Win: 2.42 Units
