The Toronto Maple Leafs will face one of their toughest tests of the year as they continue their road trip against the defending Stanley Cup Champions on Thursday night.
The Las Vegas Golden Knights are one of the best teams in the league this year, and will be a major challenge for the Leafs as they continue to chase the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins in the Atlantic division.
Bet on Maple Leafs vs. Golden Knights
TOR -110
VEG -110
In our game preview, we’ll break down the game from a betting point of view. We’ll look at the odds, and what wagers you should be considering before the puck drops in Vegas.
Maple Leafs vs. Golden Knights odds
| Maple Leafs Moneyline Odds | -110 |
| Golden Knights Moneyline Odds | -110 |
| Puckline odds | Golden Knights -1.5 (+200), Maple Leafs +1.5 (-245) |
| Total | 6 goals (over -115, under -105) |
| Time/Date | Feb. 22, 10:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | Broadcast: TSN4 Stream: Sportsnet+ (How to watch the NHL in Canada?) |
All odds courtesy of 
About the Maple Leafs (31-16-8 SU, 18-37 ATS, 29-24-2 o/u)
The Maple Leafs have quietly been one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference. Only the two division leaders – the Panthers and the New York Rangers – have longer winning streaks right now (six and eight games, respectively) than the Leafs (five games).
The Leafs have overtaken the Tampa Bay Lightning for third in the Atlantic, and have three games in hand with a five-point lead. With 70 points to their name, they still have a lot of ground to cover to catch the Bruins (79 points) and Panthers (78 points), but they are trending in the right direction.
One of the keys to their success has been Auston Matthews. The star centre is tied for fifth in the NHL in scoring, with 75 points, and is dominating the goal-scoring race. He has 51 goals in 54 games, a full 12 more than Sam Reinhart (39) of the Panthers for the league lead. He should realistically be in the discussion for the Hart Trophy, though he has yet to solicit much serious attention in that regard.
It’s not just Matthews lighting up for the Leafs offence, though. William Nylander is just behind Matthews, having 74 points of his own. Mitch Marner (68 points) isn’t very far back. They still have an offence that can compete with anyone, though the hope is that the middle six can become a bit stronger and more consistent.
Goaltending and defence continue to be the major question marks as they have been for years. Goaltender Ilya Samsonov has been better after a very rough patch earlier in the year, but it remains to be seen whether he can pull it together when it counts in the big games.
About the Golden Knights (32-18-6 SU, 25-31 ATS, 25-31 o/u)
The Knights began the year playing very well but have since struggled to keep up with the Vancouver Canucks. They are a full 10 points back for the Pacific Division lead, and have been treading water (5-4-1) in their last 10 games.
The good news is that the Knights are getting healthier. Jack Eichel and William Carrier are expected to return, providing a welcome boost to the offence. The defence and goaltending continue to be among the best in the Western Conference, but until they recover their peak goal-scoring form they’ll be hard-pressed to catch the free-scoring Canucks.
Aside from Mark Stone (53 points in 56 games) and Eichel (44 in 42), the Knights don’t have strong individual performers, but rather tend to rely on their depth. They have seven players with 30+ points and 10 with at least 20 points, making them easily one of the most well-rounded rosters in the Western Conference, if not the NHL.
Getting contributions from all four lines and three defence pairings is how they won the Stanley Cup to begin with. The Knights know what needs to be done to win it all and the roster is proving to be strong from top to bottom in every sense. The Leafs will be tough customers, but on home ice and with players back from injury, the Knights will go in hungry for a win.
Auston Matthews anytime goal
-135
Last matchup
It’s been a while since these two met. The last meeting came back on 11/8 of the 2022-23 season in Toronto. The Knights got off to a hot start but the Leafs wound up taking a lead into the third period thanks to a two-goal effort from Timothy Liljegren.
It would be Reilly Smith, now of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who would deliver the heroics, however. He would tie things up in the third before ultimately scoring the winner in overtime on the backhand, giving the Knights the 4-3 win in the extra session.
Key injuries
The Leafs have had a very tough time with injuries on the back end and in goal. In good news, Joseph Woll was sent to the AHL for a conditioning stint, so he could be back soon. Still, defencemen William Lagesson, Mark Giordano, John Klingberg, and Conor Timmins are all on the injured or non-roster list.
The Knights dealt with their share of injuries but may be getting totally healthy as soon as this contest. William Carrier (upper body), Tobias Bjornfot (undisclosed), and Jack Eichel (knee) are all expected to return from the IR against the Leafs. Mark Stone is dealing with an upper-body injury but should be in the lineup.
Betting trends
- The Leafs continue to be on fire when it comes to the puckline. With their win on Feb. 19 over the Blues, they have now covered in four straight. Going back to their 3-1 win over Seattle on Jan. 21, the Leafs have covered the puckline in 8 of their last 10 games.
- In the absence of Eichel and Carrier, the Las Vegas offence has been just okay. Just once since Jan. 27 have the Knights scored more than three goals, a 4-0 win over the Sharks on Feb. 19. In that time, they’ve gone 2-4-0 against the over.
- Though the Leafs are just 4-3-1 against the over of late, the offence hasn’t been a problem. They have scored four or more goals in five of their last six games, the lone exemption coming in a 5-3 loss to the Senators on Feb. 10.
Player prop trends
- Tavares is either smouldering hot or freezing cold. He had a stretch from Jan. 27 through Feb. 7 where he racked up six points in three games. Currently, he hasn’t scored in three straight and had a streak of nine games where he didn’t have a point leading into that Jan. 27 game.
- Stone has quietly had a very good year for the Knights. He has 53 points overall and has picked up at least one point in four of his last six games. That said, he has just one goal in his last 12 games.
- Matthews could not have picked a better time to get hot. He has 11 goals and and six assists in eight games this month, and is coming off a two-goal performance on Wednesday against the Arizona Coyotes.
Wagers to consider
- It feels like the most obvious pick at times but keep riding Matthews to score anytime (-135) until he fails to deliver. He has goals in four straight games, including back-to-back hat tricks in that time.
- Samsonov has been better and the Knights have struggled somewhat to put the puck in the net. Look for the under (U 6, -105) on this one despite the talent on the ice. The Leafs will also be playing the second night of a back-to-back set.
- If you’re looking to bet on the result, the moneyline is arguably too close to call, especially without knowing how Vegas will lineup with two key players back in the lineup. The smart money is Toronto +1.5 (-245), either on its own or parlayed with a prop like Matthews to score anytime (-135). We wouldn’t be surprised to see Vegas pull out a win in the end, but a one-goal margin is likely all they will be afforded by a strong Toronto team.
