We’ve got a busy Saturday night slate in the NHL, including a cross-conference clash between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Nashville Predators.
The Leafs begin life after Joseph Woll tonight, and they will certainly have their hands full with a red-hot Preds team with an elite offensive threat in Filip Forsberg.
The NHL odds do favor Toronto in this spot, but Smashville could be thinking of sweeping the city in the season series. Find out how in my free NHL picks for this December 9 matchup.
Predators vs Maple Leafs odds
Predators vs Maple Leafs predictions
The Nashville Predators have been one of the best stories through the first couple of months of the NHL season. After a slow start, the Preds have been one of the best teams in hockey, winning eight of their last 10, and are entering tonight on a three-game winning streak.
As for Toronto, the team is coming off its first regulation win in weeks but lost starting goaltender Joseph Woll to injury, adding to the already beaten and battered blue line.
The Leafs have not named a starter for tonight’s game as Ilya Samsonov has been dealing with an illness all week and is considered a game-time decision. The Russian netminder lost the net to Woll in the last few weeks and hasn’t played since November 24th in a 4-3 loss to Chicago, and he didn’t look all too sharp. His .878 SV% this season isn’t encouraging either. If he is unable to go, the Leafs will have to turn to Martin Jones, who has spent the season in the American Hockey League with an unspectacular .870 SV% for the Toronto Marlies.
To add to the concern in goal, Toronto has been extremely leaky defensively and is giving up high-volume shots to its opposition on a nightly basis, averaging the fifth most shots against per game (33). Whoever takes the net for Toronto tonight, it’s safe to say the main objective for the Preds should be to pepper these guys with rubber all night long, especially leading scorer Filip Forsberg.
Forsberg is a shooting machine, ranking fifth in the league with 105 shots through 26 games, averaging 4.03 shots per contest. His shot prop for tonight is 3.5, and it’s a number he's exceeded in nine of his last 13 games.
With the Leafs' weak blue line and question marks in goal, it would behoove the Preds sharpshooter to send everything toward the net tonight, giving him a strong chance to get to his yearly average of 4+ shots.
My best bet: Filip Forsberg Over 3.5 shots on goal (-120 at SIA)
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Predators vs Maple Leafs same-game parlay
Filip Forsberg anytime goal
Predators team total Over 2.5
Predators +1.5
For leg one of my same-game parlay, let’s roll with an anytime goal from Forsberg. The Preds sniper is firing pucks at an elite rate and leads Nashville in scoring with 14 on the year. He has points in five straight games against Toronto, with three goals in that stretch.
Next up, let’s go with over 2.5 goals for Nashville tonight. The Predators are averaging 3.57 goals per game over the last calendar month. They should be able to match that output with either Samsonov (3.58 GAA) or Jones (3.37 GAA in the AHL) in goal.
For my final leg, I’ll take the Preds on the spread (+1.5). There’s a chance Nashville could win this game despite being underdogs, but either way, I think it’ll be a close finish, similar to the last three games (3-2, 3-2, 2-1). Plus, the Leafs are 5-17 this year against the spread and have only four wins by two or more goals. So even if the Buds win, it’s unlikely to be a blowout.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Predators vs Maple Leafs moneyline and Over/Under analysis
The Toronto Maple Leafs are favored on the moneyline at -165, with Nashville coming in as +140 underdogs on the road. I’m kind of surprised by this line given Nashville’s hot play of late and Toronto’s mounting injuries on the blue line and now in goal. Perhaps the books are banking on a tired Nashville team that will play its fifth game in eight days against a fairly fresh Toronto team that has won four of the last six meetings between these two teams.
The total for tonight’s game is set at 6.5 goals. Both the Over and the Under are giving -110 odds as similar money is coming in on both sides. The Under has hit in three straight meetings and seven times in the last 10 between these teams. This play, to me, works in conjunction with the moneyline… If you like Nashville, it’s most likely going to be in a lower-scoring game. Toronto, however, may have to outscore its goaltending and defensive woes to win, which likely means the Over.
Predators vs Maple Leafs betting trend to know
The Over is 7-3 in Toronto’s last 10 games. Find more NHL betting trends for Predators vs. Maple Leafs.
Predators vs Maple Leafs game info
| Location: | Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON |
| Date: | Saturday, December 9, 2023 |
| Puck drop: | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | CBC, Sportsnet |
Predators vs Maple Leafs latest injuries
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