The Colorado Avalanche travel to Toronto on Wednesday night for a matchup with the streaking Maple Leafs. This game looks like it could be a potential Stanley Cup Playoff preview, and both teams come into this one with momentum.
Colorado got off to a slow start in 2021, but they have now improved their record to 11-6-1 on the year. The Avalanche have won four of their last five games, but most of those victories have come on their home ice.
Toronto has now won four straight games, and they have been doing it in pretty dominating fashion. The Maple Leafs have now racked up 33 points on the year, and they are on the short list of title betting favorites.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are the betting favorites on the moneyline at -130. The over/under for total goals scored is set at 6.0.
Colorado Cruising on Offense
The Colorado Avalanche continue to score goals in bunches, and that offense has been on a remarkable run of late. Colorado comes into Wednesday night averaging 4.0 goals per game, and they will try to pick up this win on the road by scoring a ton of goals.
Center Nazem Kadri leads the team with 20 assists and 27 total points on the year, but he has gotten some help as well. Mikko Rantanen has scored a team-high 10 goals on the year, and the Avalanche still haven’t even really gotten going on the power play. Nathan MacKinnon has been sidelined with a lower body injury but he’s expected to return Wednesday night, which should be a huge help.
Goaltending continues to be a slight issue for the Avalanche as they are allowing 3.11 goals per game. Darcy Kuemper is starting to play better, but the Avalanche need to find a way to get better on that end of the ice.
The Avalanche will be trying to pick up the tempo on Wednesday night, but that’s not always easy to do against the Maple Leafs.
Maple Leafs Shutting Down Opponents
The Maple Leafs have some very talented offensive players, but they have been winning games on the defensive end of the ice. Toronto is currently giving up just 2.13 goals against per game, but the Avalanche will be one of their toughest opponents.
Goaltender Jack Campbell has been one of the best players in the NHL so far this season as he is allowing just 1.64 goals against per game. Toronto has killed off nearly 87 percent of their penalties this season, and the play of Campbell has been a big reason for that number.
Center John Tavares leads the Maple Leafs with 10 goals and 22 points on the year, and this team is still trying to find some more offense. The Maple Leafs are scoring just under 3 goals per game, but they have enough talent to be a better offensive team.
Toronto Too Tough For Avs
The Avalanche are starting to turn things around, and they look poised to continue climbing up the standings in the Western Conference. Winning at home has been easy for the Avs of late, but playing on the road in Toronto is a pretty tall task.
The Maple Leafs come into this one with a ton of momentum, and they just don’t give up many goals to opponents. Look for the Avalanche to keep this one close, but they just won’t have what it takes to come away with a win.
Bet the Toronto Maple Leafs -130 as the Avalanche come up just a bit short in a low-scoring affair.