NHL Betting - Phaneuf Makes His Maple Leaf Debut

NHL Tuesday Preview

Action on the ice is heating up with the NHL’s Olympic break on the horizon. Teams are aggressively making moves to prepare for the postseason push, making Tuesday's NHL betting board an interesting slate of games.

New Jersey Devils at Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto is hoping its blockbuster deals will spark a playoff push for the club. The Maple Leafs managed to land defenseman Dion Phaneuf and winger Fredrik Sjostrom from the Calgary Flames, and also brought in Anaheim Ducks goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere over the weekend. Toronto could have all three men in action Tuesday night.

New Jersey got a much-needed win over the Maple Leafs, winning 5-4 in overtime Friday night. That victory was just the third win for the Devils in the past 10 games. New Jersey came off that win only to fall 3-2 to Los Angeles on Sunday. The Devils have had troubles on offense during this current funk, averaging just under two goals a game in those 10 contests, including getting shut out twice in that span.

Washington Capitals at Boston Bruins

The good times continue to roll in the nation's capital. Washington picked up its 10th straight win with a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday. The Capitals were scoring goals at an incredible pace to begin this hot streak, but have slowed down in recent games. The team is getting great goaltending from Michal Neuvirth and Jose Theodore, who returned from a lower-body injury Sunday night. Theodore stopped 27 shots and kept the score under the betting total for the second straight game.

Boston hasn't faced Washington since the opening game of the season, which it lost 4-1. The Bruins have just one win in their last 11 games, losing their most recent game 3-2 to the Kings in a shootout Saturday. Boston's offense has been MIA during this slump, netting an average of just 1.72 goals per game. The Bruins have scored two or less goals in 30 of their 53 games this season – winning just six of those contests.