Thursday, April 13, 2017

Verizon Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Toronto Maple Leafs travel to Verizon Center to play the Washington Capitals on Thursday, April 13, 2017 in Game 1 of their playoff series. The opening line for this game has the Maple Leafs at +178 and the Capitals at -198.

Toronto had a regular season record of 40-27-15 and on the road they had a record of 19-14-8. They finished 4th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 251 goals and given up 242 goals for a point differential of +9. The Maple Leafs have an overall record of 6-4-0 in their last 10 games. For the season they have an ATS record of 39-41 and an over/under record of 37-41-4. Washington finished with a record of 55-19-8 including 32-7-2 at home this season. They were 1st in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 263 goals and surrendered 182 for a goal differential of +81. The Capitals have a record of 8-2-0 in their last 10 contests. Their record against the spread is 53-26 while their over/under record sits at 36-32-14.

For expert handicapping advice on this game check out our NHL expert handicapper tips.

Valuable Toronto Maple Leafs Betting Trends

The Toronto Maple Leafs are 39-41 straight up

The Toronto Maple Leafs are 37-41-4 against the over/under

Important Washington Capitals Betting Trends

The Washington Capitals are 53-26 straight up

The Washington Capitals are 36-32-14 against the over/under

Key Toronto Maple Leafs Injuries

10/09/16 LW Joffrey Lupul Hernia out indefinitely
04/10/17 GO Frederik Andersen Head is upgraded to probable Thursday vs. Washington
04/10/17 LW Josh Leivo Undisclosed out indefinitely
04/10/17 D Nikita Zaitsev Upper Body left last game, "?" Thursday vs. Washington
04/10/17 D Roman Polak Leg left last game, "?" Thursday vs. Washington
04/10/17 RW Nikita Soshnikov Undisclosed out indefinitely
03/23/17 C Eric Fehr Hand out indefinitely

Key Washington Capitals Injuries

04/10/17 RW Brett Connolly Illness "?" Thursday vs. Toronto
04/10/17 D John Carlson Lower Body "?" Thursday vs. Toronto

Player Spotlight

Auston Matthews has accumulated 69 total points this season for the Maple Leafs. He has 40 goals this season with 279 shots on goal giving him a shooting percentage of 14%. He has a total of 29 assists on the season and averages 17.6 minutes played per game. Nazem Kadri has averaged 16.6 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 14% by scoring 32 goals on 236 shots. He has 29 assists giving him a total of 61 points on the season. Frederik Andersen has 33 wins and 16 losses this season in net for the Maple Leafs. He has had 2,052 shots against him and has given up 169 goals. He has made 1,883 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Player Spotlight

Alex Ovechkin has accumulated 69 total points this season for the Capitals. He has 33 goals this season with 313 shots on goal giving him a shooting percentage of 11%. He has a total of 36 assists on the season and averages 18.4 minutes played per game. Marcus Johansson has averaged 17 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 19% by scoring 24 goals on 129 shots. He has 34 assists giving him a total of 58 points on the season. Braden Holtby has 42 wins and 13 losses this season in net for the Capitals. He has had 1,690 shots against him and has given up 127 goals. He has made 1,563 saves for a save percentage of 93%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Maple Leafs have 95 total points this season. They have scored 251 goals while giving up 242 goals. They have had 244 power play opportunities and have scored 57 goals on those chances for a percentage of 23%. The Maple Leafs have allowed 251 power play opportunities and given up 44 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 82%. They average 32 shots per game and as a team are shooting 9.59% for the season to this point. They allow 33 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Capitals have a total of 118 points on the season. They have 57 power play goals on 248 opportunities thus far for a percentage of 23%. They have allowed 272 power play opportunities and have given up 44 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 84%. As a team, the Maple Leafs have a total of 263 goals scored while they've given up 182 goals to this point. They average 30 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 10.54%. As a team they give up 28 shots per game and have a save percentage of 92%.

Advanced Statistics

Toronto has a Corsi percentage of 50.1% as they've attempted 4,980 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 4,965 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is at 49.7% as they have 3,758 attempts while they've given up 3,799 shots on the defensive end. The Maple Leafs start possessions in the offensive zone 50.2% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 49.8% for the season. They have 2,523 face off wins compared to 2,531 losses, meaning their faceoff win percentage is 49.9%. On defense Toronto has 1,936 hits and they've blocked 1,166 shots from the opposition.

Advanced Statistics

Washington has attempted 4,635 shots at full strength and they've given up 4,377 attempts, meaning their Corsi percentage is at 51.4% for the season. In terms of Fenwick percentage, they currently are at 51.6% as they have 3,487 shots while they've given up 3,275 attempts on defense. The Capitals have an offensive zone percentage of 52% and their defensive zone percentage is 48% so far this season. They have a faceoff win percentage of 49.8% as they've compiled 2,385 face off wins this season and they have suffered 2,400 face off losses. On defense Washington has blocked 1,102 shot attempts and they have 1,727 hits as a unit.

Who will win tonight's Maple Leafs/Capitals NHL game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take Washington -198

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