The Toronto Maple Leafs are set for their third back-to-back in the last 10 days.
The pregame narrative: Toronto’s three-game winning streak was snapped by the Ottawa Senators yesterday. Now the Buds travel to Washington to take on the red-hot Capitals with Joseph Woll in goal.
Check out my Maple Leafs picks vs. the Capitals for the Nov. 13 game on Wednesday night.
Maple Leafs picks vs. Capitals
Go to full NHL betting markets.
Best Bet: Under 6.5 goals (-132)
The NHL schedule makers might be out to lunch but this should make tonight’s game more predictive.
Toronto got blown out by the Columbus Blue Jackets on a back-to-back on Oct. 22. The Leafs played some lazy hockey and hung rookie goaltender Dennis Hildeby out to dry.
Head coach Craig Berube had this to say: “Bottom line, it boiled down to them out-skating us, out-working us, and being a harder team.”
The Leafs have played two back-to-backs since and the results couldn’t be more different:
- Nov: 3 @ Minnesota: 2-1 overtime loss
- Nov. 9 vs. Montreal: 4-1 win
Tight checking and stingy defence should be the name of the game tonight, especially with Auston Matthews out.
Woll started on Saturday against the Canadiens and turned away 20 of 21 shots in the victory and I expect him to keep things rolling against the Capitals.
Washington has been lighting up the scoreboard this year but has fallen under this line in three of its last four games. Toronto, meanwhile, has cashed this bet in seven straight.
Key stat: The under on this total is 12-5 in Leafs games this season.
Quick picks
Maple Leafs moneyline (+107): For some reason, Toronto plays pretty well without its best player.
The Leafs are 38-19-2 all-time when Matthews is out of the lineup and are 3-1-0 since he was injured last Sunday. They’ve only given up five goals in that four-game span and seem committed to playing low-event hockey.
If that’s the case, I like Toronto to win because of a goaltending advantage.
Woll hasn’t gotten many reps this year but I liked what I saw out of him on Saturday.
Washington hasn’t announced a starter as of Wednesday morning but has been going back and forth every game between Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren.
It’s Lindgren’s turn in goal and he’s been the lame duck with a 3-4 record and .897 SV%.
NHL picks made at 10:15 a.m. ET on 11/13/24.
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.