The red-hot Toronto Maple Leafs welcome the San Jose Sharks to Scotiabank Arena on Thursday night.
The pregame narrative: Toronto is 6-2-2 in its last 10 games with wins over several of the Eastern Conference’s elite. The Leafs are heavy favourites tonight with Dennis Hildeby (.986 SV% in December) between the pipes.
Check out my Sharks vs. Maple Leafs predictions for the game on Dec. 11, featuring a prop bet on William Nylander.
-> Join NorthStar Bets to start betting on the Maple Leafs
Sharks vs. Maple Leafs predictions
Best Bet: Maple Leafs -1.5 (+120)
Toronto and San Jose aren’t that different.
Each has elite talent and is among the most defensively irresponsible teams in the NHL.
- The Leafs (30th) and Sharks (31st) rank in the bottom three for shots allowed per game.
- They also both rank in the bottom six for Natural Stat Trick’s chances and scoring chances allowed on a 60-minute basis.
But Toronto is the more seasoned group, has better goaltending, and is at home. I’m confident the Leafs can cover this puck line.
-> Bet on tonight’s Sharks vs. Maple Leafs matchup now!
Hildeby has been fantastic lately, owning a .971 SV% in his last four appearances (three starts). Toronto covered a -1.5 puck line in three of those games.
Most recently, the big Swede turned away all 29 shots he faced against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
San Jose’s netminders, meanwhile, have a combined 3.29 GAA and .901 SV%. Not terrible, but not great, either.
Yaroslav Askarov, the team’s No. 1 option, missed Tuesday’s game with an illness. It’s not clear who will start in Toronto tonight, with Alex Nedeljkovic possibly making a third straight start.
Either way, I like Toronto’s chances of lighting the lamp.
Key stat: The Leafs are averaging the fifth-most goals per game (3.34).
Best NHL prop picks
Nylander over 2.5 shots (-106): Things aren’t going so well for Nylander right now.
The Swede is pointless in December and has been demoted to the third line with Dakota Joshua and Nicolas Roy.
That shouldn’t affect his ability to generate a ton of chances tonight, though. If anything, San Jose is a top-heavy team, and Nylander should thrive against its bottom six.
- The Sharks are allowing the second-most shots per game (31.3).
- Nylander is 4-1 against this total in his last five games vs. San Jose.
- He averaged 4.4 shots in those contests.
-> Bet on Nylander’s shot total at NorthStar Bets
Nylander has topped 40 goals in three straight seasons. This is an elite player who will be itching to break out of a rut. If he can’t get up and dominate tonight, then I’m willing to say there’s a problem.
Sharks vs. Maple Leafs predictions made at 9:02 a.m. ET Dec. 11, 2025.
-> Sign up to NorthStar Bets today!
Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.