The Canucks have a 25-9-4 record at home this season with the seventh-best offense averaging 3.50 goals per game.
Monday has a pair of exciting games with massive playoff implications as the Leafs look to cool off the red hot Penguins, who have won four straight games. The Golden Knights will look to continue their winning ways against the Canucks who they’ve downed in four of their last six matchups.
Both games look to be exciting showdowns between four red hot offenses that should be a treat for hockey fans. Lucky for you,
we’ve throughly researched these picks to give you the best chance at starting off your week on the right foot.
All betting lines are from BetMGM and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
Bet: Sidney Crosby anytime goal (+165), Auston Matthews anytime goal (-125)
The Penguins have been on fire with four straight wins and a 6-0-2 record over their last eight games. Captain Sidney Crosby has carried his squad as he hunts his fourth Stanley Cup with eight goals and 21 points over his last 13 games. Pittsburgh’s struggle for a majority of the season has been lack of offense which they may have finally found with the fifth-most goals since the start of March with 65 and tied with the Avalanche.
Pittsburgh’s last trip to Toronto was one to forget as they were trounced for a 7-0 loss. It was the Leafs fourth win over Pittsburgh in their last six matchups yet Crosby still put up decent numbers with a goal and four points. Leafs star Auston Matthews led the way in most of the wins with a pair of goals and seven points over the six matchups.
Bet: Penguins Leafs Over 6.5 goals (-105)
The Penguins offense have come alive but their defense will need to be rebuilt to the form they were in earlier this season with a goals against average of 3.33 since mid-March which is still bottom ten in the league. Toronto knows how to score at home and should capitalize on this with a goals per home game average of 3.66 which is top five in the league.
The Buds have also fallen behind on defense as of late with a 3.20 goals against average at home over their last ten home games which is the 11th-most during that span.
This will be a high-scoring game with both offenses firing on all cylinders and their respective defensive units lacking. You can expect both teams star players to lead the way.
Bet: Golden Knights Canucks Over 5.5 goals (-140)
Vancouver’s J.T. Miller is having a stellar season and his winger Connor Garland is benefitting greatly with 16 goals and 40 points this season with 18 of those points coming at home. The two haven’t been playing together all season but Garland has taken his game to another level as of late with three goals and eight points over his last ten games.
The Golden Knights have lost their defensive game that they were known for as they’ve been blown up over their last 17 games with a goals against average of 3.47 that lands seventh-worst in the league during that span.
They’ve been beaten up with injuries to starting netminder Adin Hill, the anchor to the blue line in Alex Pietrangelo along with top end forwards Tomas Hertl, William Carrier, Nicolas Roy and Captain Mark Stone.
Despite this they are still 9-7-1 over their rough defensive stretch and that is due to their elite offense that has picked up with a goal per game rate of 3.50 over their last ten games. Where their defense has let them down, Logan Thompson has been there to clean up the mess with a 6-1-0 record with goals against average of 2.05 and a save percentage of .931 in his last eight appearances.
They will look to ride their hot netminder and get past a new rookie on the scene in Arturs Silovs who has been great in between the pipes for his first two starts with a 1.50 goals against average and 40 saves on 43 shots.
One of the two goalies have to give as these two have combined for six or more goals in seven of their last ten matchups with my guess being on the home team as the Canucks are 25-9-4 with the seventh-best home offense averaging 3.50 goals per home game.