The Toronto Maple Leafs welcome star center Auston Matthews back to the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Read on for our best Blackhawks-Maple Leafs NHL pick based on the top odds.
With 72 points in 54 games, the Toronto Maple Leafs sit in fifth in NHL standings. Nevertheless, they have been inconsistent in 2023, going 9-8-2 in 17 games.
Auston Matthews is due to return to action for Toronto, his first game since Jan 25.
The Blackhawks have just one regulation win in their past eight games and sit in 31st place with 37 points in 52 games.
There should be little doubt in the outcome of Wednesday's game, but there are always ways to find better value than merely picking the winner.
Here is our best Blackhawks vs. Maple Leafs NHL pick (odds via PointsBet; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Check out our NHL best bets for Wednesday.
Blackhawks vs. Maple Leafs pick
After a brief surge of competitive play in early January, the Chicago Blackhawks are back in full tank mode. They lost 4-0 at Montreal on Tuesday, so they bring a tired team into Toronto.
Former Leafs netminder Petr Mrazek is likely to get the start in goal for the Blackhawks and he has a .901 save percentage and 3.62 goals against average away from the United Center.
While there has been inconsistency in the Maple Leafs' recent performance, including a 4-3 loss against Columbus on Saturday, they are still the vastly superior squad.
I have been reluctant to take any team to cover a 2.5-goal spread as favorites, but it makes sense against Chicago. In their past 14 roa d contests, the Blackhawks have lost nine games by a margin of three goals or more.
It makes more sense than taking the Maple Leafs as a favorite at -600. At that price, a loss is devastating to the bank roll, so play the puck line with the expectation that Toronto's superior talent can take over and win this game comfortably.
Check out our latest Stanley Cup odds.
Blackhawks vs. Maple Leafs best odds
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | PointsBet |
| Toronto -2.5 | Toronto -2.5 | Toronto -2.5 | Toronto -2.5 | Toronto -2.5 |
| -120 | -122 | -115 | -125 ?? | -110 ?? |
It is rare to find an NHL game with a 2.5-goal spread, but that has left some variance in the pricing among the top sportsbooks. PointsBet has the best price in the market at a standard -110 juice.
BetMGM is not far off at -115, but DraftKings, FanDuel, and Caesars are ranging between -120 and -125, which is notably off the price set by PointsBet.
Blackhawks vs. Maple Leafs odds
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Blackhawks vs. Maple Leafs odds analysis
FanDuel's moneyline opened with the Maple Leafs massively favored at -480, compared to the Blackhawks at +360.
Even with 71% of the early moneyline wagers on the Maple Leafs, the line has continued to move towards Toronto. The Leafs are now favored at -61 0, while the Blackhawks are +440 to win outright.
The total opened at 6.5 with the Over at -114 and the Under at -106. With 57% of the early action coming in on the Over, the price has still moved in the other direction. The Under is now -118, with the Over at -104.
Check out our Stanley Cup odds!
Blackhawks vs. Maple Leafs game info
- Date: Wednesday, Feb. 15, 7 p.m. ET
- TV: TNT, Sportsnet, TVAS
- Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON
Blackhawks-Maple Leafs pick made 2/15/2023 at 1:30 p.m. ET.
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