Avery Perri

The Toronto Maple Leafs host the Edmonton Oilers in Hockey Night in Canada’s marquee matchup.

The pregame narrative: Edmonton made waves yesterday, trading Stuart Skinner for Tristan Jarry, among some other pieces. The newly-acquired netminder is expected to start tonight against a Maple Leafs team that has points in six straight games (4-0-2).

Check out my Oilers vs. Maple Leafs picks for the Dec. 13 game, featuring Auston Matthews and Leon Draisaitl.

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Oilers vs. Maple Leafs picks

Best Bet: Over 6.5 goals (-108)

I have a feeling fans in attendance will be treated to a high-scoring thriller.

Toronto has gotten fantastic goaltending out of Dennis Hildeby, but we’re reaching uncharted territory for the rookie netminder.

He’ll be starting a fourth consecutive game after never making back-to-back starts before Joseph Woll went down with an injury.

The Leafs have given up an average of 31.6 shots per game during this run, so it’s fair to assume his .962 SV% in December will regress eventually.

-> Bet on tonight’s Oilers vs. Maple Leafs matchup now!

Edmonton, led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, has one of the most electric offences in the NHL. It has scored 22 goals in its last four games and ranks fifth in goals per game (3.32).

Right behind Edmonton in that metric is Toronto (3.30 goals/game).

I don’t really understand the Skinner-for-Jarry move and view it as more of a lateral, change-of-scenery trade, rather than a clear-cut upgrade.

Jarry has a career .909 SV% and got lit up by the Maple Leafs twice this year as a member of the Penguins. He gave up seven goals on 33 shots in those contests (.787 SV%).

Key stat: Five of the last six games between the Leafs and Oilers have gone over this total.

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Best NHL prop picks

Parlay: Draisaitl and Matthews to each record a point (-127): I’m expecting the scoreboard operator to be busy, so it only makes sense to back one big dog from each team.

Draisaitl and Matthews have -385 and -235 odds to record a point, respectively. Unplayable on their own, but right in the sweet spot for a two-leg parlay.

-> Bet on Matthews and Draisaitl at NorthStar Bets

• Matthews is starting to look like his old self, with points in six of his last seven games. In that span, he’s averaging a whopping 4.42 shots per game.

• Draisaitl has points in 12 of his last 13 games, with 22 total points in that span. He has nine points in his last four games.

Oilers vs. Maple Leafs picks made at 10:36 a.m. ET Dec. 13, 2025.

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Thursday’s NHL goal predictions feature two players from Canadian teams.

The pregame narrative: Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs are rolling, and I like the captain’s chances of producing against the San Jose Sharks. Elsewhere, look for Jake DeBrusk to come through at plus money against a bottom-feeder.

Check out my NHL goal picks for Dec. 11.

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NHL goal picks Dec. 11

Best Bet: DeBrusk to score (+210)

Saying the Buffalo Sabres are bottom-feeders while backing a player on the Canucks is not unlike the pot calling the kettle black.

Both teams are a mess, but I think Vancouver has a chance to rout Buffalo tonight.

Four games into their current road trip, the Sabres have allowed an alarming number of goals. Nineteen, to be exact.

-> Don’t miss out — wager on DeBrusk at NorthStar Bets!

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is expected to be in the net, and he’s having a disastrous season.

The sixth-year goalie is posting a career-worst .884 SV%, and the defenders in front of him aren’t doing much to help.

Buffalo is a bottom-10 team defensively in shots, chances, and xG allowed on a 60-minute basis, per Natural Stat Trick.

That leads me to DeBrusk, who has been the most active Canuck offensively, despite his modest eight-goal total. He leads the team in:

• xG (13.62)
• Scoring chances (103)
• Hgh-danger chances (66)
• Shots (85)

DeBrusk’s 9.4 shooting percentage is well below his career average and last year’s 16.4% mark. This seems like a good matchup for him to get off the schneid.

Key stat: Buffalo is allowing the fourth-most goals per game (3.53).

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NHL predictions

Matthews to score (+102): The Maple Leafs are rounding into form, despite the lack of primary scoring from guys like Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares.

Toronto is 4-0-1 in its last five games with just four goals from the trio (three from Matthews).

That’s a good sign for the Leafs, assuming the leadership group gets back on track. Tonight seems like a good time for all three to produce, and I specifically like Matthews’ odds of recording his 13th goal of the season.

-> Bet on Matthews and the Maple Leafs tonight!

The captain is coming off one of his best games of the season, firing eight shots on net and scoring an empty-netter while playing sound defence.

He’s now averaging 4.4 shots per game in his last five outings and is 3-2 against this line.

San Jose ranks 31st in shots allowed per game and is inside the bottom six for chances and scoring chances allowed on a 60-minute basis.

NHL goal picks made at 10:44 a.m. ET on Dec. 11, 2025.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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