The Toronto Maple Leafs (34-14-4) visit the Washington Capitals (28-17-9) on Monday night with both squads looking to make some adjustments. The Leafs beat Detroit in a wild 10-7 shootout on Saturday, nearly squandering a 7-2 lead in the third period. The Capitals, meanwhile, have dropped two straight while managing only one goal in each loss. Toronto is 5-4-1 in its last 10 and Washington is 5-5-0, further complicating Maple Leafs vs Capitals predictions.
- Date/Time: February 28, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Arena: Capital One Arena
- TV Coverage: SN1, SNE, SNO, SNW, TVAS, NBCSWA
- Sportsbook Maple Leafs vs Capitals Odds: Capitals -133 | O/U 5.5
- Maple Leafs vs Capitals Betting Matchup Report
Maple Leafs vs Capitals Odds & Analysis
Sportsbook Odds
The odds have flipped since Washington opened as a -133 favorite at home. With support coming in for the visitors in Maple Leafs vs Capitals predictions and wagers, Toronto is now the -125 chalk while Washington can be found at +115, offering great value on both sides of the ice Monday.
Get the best Maple Leafs vs Capitals odds and lines available from our recommended sportsbooks for your favorite picks of the night.
- Best Spread+180-205TOR-1.5+1.5WAS
- Best Moneyline-135+122TORWAS
- Best Total+101-107Over6.56.5Under
Toronto Desperate For Defensive Improvement
The Maple Leafs outlasted the Red Wings in an old-fashioned shootout Saturday but almost blew a huge lead, allowing Detroit to draw within a goal twice in the third period before finally putting the game on ice.
Toronto’s top line of Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews and Michael Bunting combined for 15 points in the victory, with Marner potting four goals. Matthews, who had a goal and three assists, now leads the NHL with 37 goals and is fourth in the league scoring parade with 68 points.
The Leafs continue to chase the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning in the Atlantic Division standings. Toronto trails Tampa Bay by two points and Florida by three and has a game in hand on the Panthers.
Capitals Need To Recapture Offensive Form
The Capitals are coming off a 2-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday in which they gave up a goal to Claude Giroux 11 seconds after the Sportsbook faceoff. They were also held to one goal in a 4-1 setback to the Rangers last Thursday.
Washington has struggled on home ice this season, posting a mediocre 12-10-5 record at Capital One Arena that includes five straight losses, and sits fourth in the Metropolitan Division, trailing the third-place Rangers by six points.
The Capitals are 12th in both goals scored and goals allowed but have struggled in the special teams department, which could impact Maple Leafs vs Capitals predictions. Toronto is No. 1 in the NHL in power-play efficiency and fourth on the penalty kill, while Washington is 15th on the PK and only four teams have a worse power-play conversion rate than its 16.1 percent mark.
Maple Leafs vs Capitals Pick & Insights
Maple Leafs: Keys To Victory
Netminding has been a sore spot for the Leafs lately and both Jack Campbell and Petr Mrazek were poor against Detroit. Nonetheless, the Maple Leafs vs Capitals prediction factors in the need for defensive improvement, something Sheldon Keefe will no doubt drill into his players. The key for Toronto will be to tighten up defensively without halting the momentum of its top offensive players.
Capitals: Keys To Victory
If the Capitals want to be on the right side of the Maple Leafs vs Capitals pick, goaltender Ilya Samsonov will have to be sharp. The Capitals will try to find their scoring touch against the Leafs but will have to stay out of the penalty box given the apparent mismatch between these power-play and penalty-killing units.
Odds Shark’s Computer Maple Leafs vs Capitals Prediction: Leafs ML (-135)
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- Washington is 0-5 in its last 5 home games.
- The OVER is 6-2 in Toronto’s last 8 road games.
- Toronto is 3-10 in its last 13 games at Washington.
