Can the Toronto Maple Leafs Remain Healthy and Pick Up a Road Win?

The Toronto Maple Leafs will head to the American Airlines Center on Thursday night as they take on the Dallas Stars in an Eastern Conference vs Western Conference game. The Maple Leafs are second in the Atlantic Division (44-19-5, 93 points) this season while the Stars are currently fifth in the Central Division (39-25-3, 81 points). This will be the second and final regular season game as the Maple Leafs picked up a 4-0 home win back on March 15. 

These teams are both playing well as of late, so this should be a very intriguing matchup between two solid franchises. Let’s take a closer look at the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Dallas Stars to figure out how to step up and win here. 

Can the Centers of the Toronto Maple Leafs Do Enough to Defeat the Dallas Stars?

Center Auston Matthews has played incredibly well this year as he is leading the NHL in goals and fifth in the sport in points as he has scored 88 points this season (51 goals, 37 assists) while adding seven points in his previous four games. As a whole, Toronto is averaging 3.76 goals on 34.5 shots right now. Goaltender Jack Campbell has been playing decently well as he is 25-9-4 with 2.66 goals allowed per game and a .914 save percentage. Defensively, the Maple Leafs have been giving up 2.96 goals on 30.9 shot attempts thus far. 

The Stars have been a decent offensive team as they are scoring 2.93 goals on 30.6 shot attempts up to this point. A huge reason why is the production from center Joe Pavelski as he has posted 68 points (25 goals, 43 assists) with just two points in his last four games. Dallas has been doing okay as they are allowing 2.96 goals on 30.9 shots so far. Goalie Jake Oettinger has been doing a decent job so far as he has a 24-11-1 record with a .916 save percentage and 2.47 goals allowed per game. 

Toronto Maple Leafs at Dallas Stars Betting Prediction

The major difference as of late has been the ability to score the puck in the last four games, as Toronto is averaging six goals per game while Dallas is averaging three goals per game in that stretch. Throughout the season, the power play percentage shows a huge difference, as well as the Maple Leafs, are scoring on 29.8 percent of power plays while the Stars have a 22.4 power play percentage. Dallas is 29-38 against the spread this year, while Toronto is 30-38 against the spread, so this means there is no advantage on either side this year. All in all, go with the Toronto Maple Leafs to cover the puck line and defeat a tough home team in the Dallas Stars.

* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.