The Toronto Maple Leafs host the Philadelphia Flyers after an emotional win on Saturday night.
The pregame narrative: Toronto scored an impressive, 6-4 victory over the Boston Bruins. However, I’m expecting a bit of a drop-off and am picking Philadelphia to win. I’m also backing the over and picking Travis Konecny to score a point.
Check out my Maple Leafs picks vs. Flyers for Jan. 5.
Maple Leafs picks vs. Flyers
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Best Bet: Flyers moneyline (+140)
Everything went right for the Maple Leafs in their win over the Bruins on Saturday.
Auston Matthews’ return was triumphant. The superstar forward was dominant at both ends of the ice, finishing with one goal, three points and a plus-five rating in the victory.
I’m expecting a bit of an emotional letdown, however, with the Flyers coming to town.
A matchup between Philadelphia and Toronto doesn’t have the same juice it once did roughly two decades ago.
The Flyers carry a rest advantage that can’t be ignored. They’ve been off since Thursday night while the Maple Leafs are playing their second game in as many nights and their third contest in four days.
Toronto started Joseph Woll on Saturday and it’s unlikely he goes again on Sunday. The team will likely turn to Denis Hildeby or Matt Murray, and that’s a major plus for the Flyers.
Hildeby has a .875 save percentage, and Murray owns a .879 mark this campaign.
Key stat: Toronto has lost five of the nine games it’s played on zero days rest this season.
Quick picks
Over 6 goals (-122): This has a lot to do with either Hildeby or Murray earning the start.
Both goaltenders have been bad this season. The over on this total has hit in two of Hildeby’s three starts while pushing in the other. There were seven goals or more scored in both of Murray’s starts this year.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, has been one of the best over squads in the league. It places sixth in over percentage this season (55.1%).
The Flyers have gone over this total in six of their last eight games. The Maple Leafs have topped this mark in eight of their last 10.
Konecny to score 1+ points (-132): It’s only natural to bet on Konecny finding the score sheet if I’m picking the Flyers to win a high-scoring game.
The Philadelphia forward paces the team in scoring with 43 points in 39 contests this year.
He’s been a man on a mission over the last two months, notching 33 points in 27 games. The winger has impressively registered a point in 21 of 27 outings during this stretch.
Konecny hasn’t been a Leafs killer per se, but he does have 20 points in 21 career games against Toronto.
NHL picks made at 11:06 a.m. ET on 01/05/25.
Stevie’s an avid NFL, NHL, and tennis bettor who has no problem talking himself into the underdog. His previous stops include Yahoo! Sports Canada and Toronto Metropolitan University, where he received a degree in Sport Media.