The Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs squared off on Wednesday night and the result was a 3-1 victory for Edmonton. That was a surprise as the Leafs were the online betting favorite, yet they put forth a lackluster effort.
Can the Maple Leafs rebound on Friday as the two teams wrap up their home-and-home series or are we going to see another Oilers surprise? Let’s take a closer look at Friday’s matchup as well as the odds in the sportsbook.
Edmonton Oilers vs Toronto Maple Leafs
Date: Friday,7 p.m. ET
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Canada
NHL Odds: Maple Leafs -150
Edmonton Oilers Betting Outlook
The Oilers had mostly been a lousy team to start the season but Wednesday’s NHL betting affair was one of their best efforts. Prior to that, the Oilers had dropped three of their first four games and a familiar script was playing out: Connor McDavid was forced to shoulder too much of the load on offense while the blue line and goaltending were brutal. They gave up 14 goals through their first four games, but things were different on Wednesday. Mikko Koskinen, who ended up being the game’s first star, stopped 27 of 28 shots. The one goal he allowed was a weird angle, seeing-eye wrister from Auston Matthews.
On offense, the Oilers finally found some balance as seven different players managed to notch a point. That’s the type of effort this team is going to need once again if they’re going to win on Friday. The Leafs aren’t going to be half-asleep, though, so if the teams revert back to their early-season efforts, the Oilers could be in trouble.
Toronto Maple Leafs Betting Outlook
Similar to how the Oilers’ effort on Wednesday was an aberration of early-season performances, the same can be said about the Maple Leafs. Toronto had won three of their first four games on the year, scoring at least three goals in every single contest. They had actually tallied 14 goals through their first four outings. However, on Wednesday, they managed just one goal, which was obviously their worst output. Nothing was working as they only generated two power plays and failed to score on both, while they gave up three to the Oilers and Edmonton managed to score on one of its opportunities.
Goaltending and defense continue to be an issue for the Leafs but it wasn’t as noticeable early on. The team was lighting up their opponents, so that was masking the problem but taking a look at the big picture, Toronto has allowed three goals or more in three of their five contests. That number seems to be a barometer of sorts as they are 1-2 when their opponent hits that mark but their 2-0 when they don’t. Look for that to be the key on Friday when these teams match up again. If the Leafs can keep the Oilers’ offense under wraps, they’ll likely rebound and get the win.
Prediction: Maple Leafs 5, Oilers 2
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