The Toronto Maple Leafs battle the Chicago Blackhawks in a game that should feature plenty of offence.
The pregame narrative: Mitch Marner had a strong showing at the 4 Nations Face-Off and I expect him to feast against a weak Chicago Blackhawks defence. William Nylander is poised to snap his goalless drought, while John Tavares is a good choice to beat his shot prop.
Check out my Maple Leafs vs. Blackhawks props for Feb. 23.
Maple Leafs vs. Blackhawks props
Best Bet: Marner to score 2+ points (+145)
Toronto should score plenty in this contest.
The Maple Leafs are fresh off a six-goal showing against the stingy Carolina Hurricanes and face a much easier defensive side in Chicago.
The Blackhawks have been absolutely dreadful defensively. They rank:
- 30th in goals against per game (3.46)
- 30th in shots against per game (31.6)
- 30th in scoring chances against per 60 (30.41)
Toronto, meanwhile, is a competent 12th in goals per game (3.13) and should be able to fill the net.
That likely means a standout performance from Toronto’s top point producer.
Marner has 71 points in 55 games and should be able to notch a couple of points against Chicago.
Key stat: Marner has four two-point outings in his last 10 games.
Quick picks
Nylander anytime goal (+120): Nylander remains a solid value on this market for the Maple Leafs.
He has the second-best odds to tally a goal at +123, but there’s a solid case to make that he should boast the shortest odds. His 33 goals are second only to Leon Draisaitl’s 41 across the NHL this year.
He enters this game on a three-game goalless drought, but he was riding a three-game goal streak (five total) before that.
Nylander should be able to put one past Chicago netminder Arvid Söderblom. Söderblom has allowed 12 goals in his last three games and owns a brutal .886 save percentage during this stretch.
Tavares over 2.5 shots (-106): Chicago is a prime team to back players’ shot props against.
The Blackhawks are ceding the third-most shots per game and that’s good news for Tavares. The Maple Leafs forward is third on his team in shots (134) and second on the squad in scoring chances per 60 (10.9).
Chicago has been especially bad defensively since the calendar flipped to 2025. It’s allowing the most shots per game (35.4) since Jan. 1.
Tavares recorded three shots in last night’s victory over Carolina.
Picks made at 3:34 p.m. ET 02/23/2025.
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.