NHL Best Bets: Oilers vs. Maple Leafs Game Picks

Two of the NHL’s most explosive superstars in, Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews, are set to collide tonight from Scotiabank Arena as the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Edmonton Oilers.

All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Wouldn’t it be something special if the Oilers and Maple Leafs somehow met in the Stanley Cup Final this season and ended Canada’s 30-year drought of having a team win a championship? These teams certainly have the type of lineups to do that, but they must prove to the masses that they can have playoff success. Edmonton has done a much better job of that, factoring in that they were dragged to the Conference Finals last year on the backs of two superstar forwards. 

The Maple Leafs enter this matchup playing good hockey, owning a 7-3 record over their past ten games. Edmonton is on a similar stretch, posting two straight wins and tallying a 6-3-1 record over that same sample size. 

Looking toward the projected goalie matchup tonight, the visiting Oilers are expected to continue riding Stuart Skinner, while the Maple Leafs have confirmed that Matt Murray will be between the pipes. The Oilers netminder has emerged as the top goaltending option for the club, posting a 19-13-4 record, paired with a .913 save percentage. When Murray hasn’t been injured, he’s posted an 11-6-2 record, along with a .908 save percentage. It’s difficult to give an edge one way or another in goal, meaning you can treat this goalie duel as a wash. 

Edmonton has already demonstrated they can handle this Maple Leafs squad and played a really good game at home against Toronto earlier this month. These teams are equally matched, but we really like the plus-money value the Oilers are presenting on the road tonight at +104. 

Best Bet: Oilers moneyline (+104) 

As someone that’s looked at nearly every single NHL total this season, we see an outlier for this matchup. The total isn’t strange, but how juiced the over is. The total is 6.5, with the over sitting at -162 while the under is at +132. This is extremely rare and something that hasn’t transpired much this season. In saying that, it makes complete sense when you factor in that these two offenses both sit in the top ten in goals scored per game. They’ve also already combined to score seven goals in a matchup to kick off this month. Knowing that, siding with the over is the play tonight. 

Best Bet: Over 6.5 (-162) 

It’s Saturday night, and the stars are aligning for a perfect matchup between two high-quality teams. With the Maple Leafs and Oilers taking center stage on Hockey Night in Canada, there’s merit in expecting Connor McDavid to show up with the lights shining bright. McDavid leads the Oilers with four goals and five assists over their past five games and has tallied an absurd 124 points in 66 games. It’s not often that you can get McDavid listed to score at a number just above plus-money territory, meaning we’ll be happy to back his price of -108 to score tonight. 

Best Prop: Connor McDavid to Record Over 0.5 Goals (-108) 

The post NHL Best Bets: Oilers vs. Maple Leafs Game Picks appeared first on NESN.com.