The Vancouver Canucks take on the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night in the first of a three-game series and the first meeting of these teams this season. The Canucks head into Toronto on a two-game losing streak while the Leafs have points in five straight.
- Date/Time: February 4, 7 p.m. ET
- Arena: Scotiabank Arena
- TV Coverage: RSNP
- Sportsbook Odds: Maple Leafs -182 | O/U 7.5 (Line History)
- Canucks vs Maple Leafs Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The game opened with the Leafs as favorites at -182 and that line has since moved in both directions and can be found in the -175 to -200 range depending on the sportsbook. The total opened at 7.5 but is now locked in at 6.5 with the OVER the favorite in the -115 to -120 range.
Vancouver News & Notes
No team has scored more goals or had more total scoring chances at even strength this season than the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks’ top-six forward group is certainly one of the league’s most talented and winger Brock Boeser is currently leading the group with eight goals in 13 games. On defense, 21-year-old Quinn Hughes has had a prolific start to the season offensively, recording 14 points in 13 games.
Scoring has not been an issue for Vancouver. Preventing scoring has been. While the Canucks lead the league in shots and chances at 5-on-5, they also lead the league in shots and scoring chances against – both by a wide margin. The Canucks have allowed a whopping 298 scoring chances at evens this season; 23 teams have allowed fewer than 200.
While the Canucks have had significant injuries on their back end, the goaltending has been subpar as well. Thatcher Demko is 3-4-0 with a .909 save percentage and Braden Holtby is 3-3-0 with a .896 mark.
Toronto News & Notes
The top end of the Leafs roster is as talented as any in the league and they have carried the team so far this season. Only four forwards on the team have more than five points through 10 games: Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander. Marner ranks tied for fourth in the league in points.
The Leafs rank 13th in high-danger scoring chances at even strength this season but rank fifth in high-danger chances against. The play in their own end is again an issue despite the considerable resources spent on defense over the last couple of seasons. The Leafs have been out-chanced by their opponent in six of 10 games this year and had more high-danger chances than their opponent just twice.
In net, starter Frederik Andersen is 5-2-1 this season but has only a .892 save percentage, which ranks 26th among goalies who have played at least five games.
Betting Pick: OVER 6.5
Neither of these teams is particularly good defensively and both have elite offensive talent. It is no surprise the game opened with a 7.5 total and now that it has moved down a goal, we like the chances of this game getting to seven goals.
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Buy Sports Picks Now- The OVER is 7-3 in Vancouver’s last 10 games.
- The UNDER is 7-0 in the last 7 games between these teams.
- The UNDER is 7-2 in Toronto’s last 9 home games.
