One team is fighting for one of the top four spots in the East while the other is struggling as we have a neighborhood derby on Sunday, March 13, so you can’t afford to miss out on the best Maple Leafs vs. Sabres betting pick and odds.
These divisional rivals have met twice this season, and the series is currently tied at 1-1. The Maple Leafs are massive favorites, according to BetOnline Sportsbook. Toronto is a -280 favorite, while the total is set at 6.5 goals.
Maple Leafs couldn’t make it three in a row
The Toronto Maple Leafs came close to recording three straight wins, but the Arizona Coyotes prevented them with a 5-4 overtime victory at home. Toronto defeated Columbus and Seattle before this loss, which was quite disappointing, considering Arizona’s position this season.
The Coyotes had a 4-1 lead after two periods, but the Maple Leafs responded with three unanswered goals and forced overtime. Actually, they needed only five minutes to score three goals in the final period, but Jakob Chychrun gave two points to Arizona with a goal in OT.
Petr Mrazek will be at the goal against the Sabres on Sunday. The 30-year-old goalie has a 10-5-0-0 record this season with a 3.43 GAA and a .884 save percentage without shutouts. The Maple Leafs are allowing 3.02 goals per game (17th in the NHL) and are scoring 3.71 on the other end (3rd) on a 10.7 shooting percentage (7th).
Buffalo beat Vegas at home
The Buffalo Sabres did lose eight of the previous 11 games, but they won three of the last five, including the most recent one over the Vegas Golden Knights. Buffalo scored just one goal combined in two losses to Los Angeles and Florida but bounced back with a 3-1 home victory over the Knights.
Victor Olofsson and Alex Tuch scored in the final four minutes for the Bruins, while Craig Anderson got 30 saves in the win. It was a hard-fighting tilt in which we saw 14 powerplays and only one powerplay goal.
Craig Anderson will get a start against the Maple Leafs on Sunday. The 40-year old goaltender has a 9-8-0-0 record this season with a 3.01 GAA and a .904 save percentage without shutouts. The Sabres allow 3.54 goals per game (27th in the NHL) and score 2.63 a night (26th) on an 8.9 shooting percentage (27th).
Trends:
Toronto:
- 8-3 in the last 11 games against Buffalo
- 12-4 in the last 16 games against an opponent in the Atlantic Division
Buffalo:
- 3-8 in the last 11 games overall
- 4-14 in the last 18 games at home
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Buffalo Sabres Picks
Not only that the Maple Leafs are in better form and are higher on the standings by more than 30 points, but Toronto is also better in H2H encounters of late. Namely, the Leafs are 7-3-0 in the last ten H2H duels, while they won each of the past three road games, so I only see one team that can be victorious in this one.
Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner will be too much to handle for the hosts, who do have one of the weakest defenses in the NHL. The Sabres did surprise the Maple Leafs on the road only ten days ago, which is the bigger motivation for the visitors to get revenge on Sunday.
Pick: Take the Toronto Maple Leafs at -280
The Total
Toronto did score at least four goals in each of its last four games, but the Maple Leafs also conceded 5+ goals in those games. The Maple Leafs’ defense is not playing well lately, which is a chance for the Sabres to do damage. Buffalo scored at least four goals in both H2H games this season.
The total has gone Over in 12 of Buffalo’s last 16 games against Toronto, while the total went Over in eight of Buffalo’s previous nine games when playing at home against Toronto.
