Liontips
Toronto vs. Buffalo: NHL Match Prediction
On December 16, as part of the NHL championship, a meeting will take place between Toronto and Buffalo. Bookmakers, of course, consider the Leafs to be the clear favorites in this confrontation and expect them to win within the regular time. The Blades continue to be in mediocre form and are on a terrible losing streak. In addition, the last match between the clubs ended in favor of the home team with a score of 3:0. Does it make sense to bet on the Leafs' success this time? Find out from our forecast
Command Analysis
Toronto Maple Leafs
CanadaCurrent form
Toronto is in third place in the Eastern Conference and is still five points behind the leader of the standings. The team has improved its position significantly over the past month, since things were pretty mediocre at the start of the season. However, it also looked unstable in previous matches. Thus, after a defeat to Pittsburgh (2:5), the Leafs proved their superiority over New Jersey (2:1 OT) and Anaheim (3:2), but in the final confrontation they unexpectedly lost to Detroit with a score of 2:4.
In the last match with the "wings" the "leafs" came back twice, but in the third period they were left with only one goal scored, and in response they conceded twice. In general, in previous meetings Toronto often had problems with scoring and usually remained with no more than one or two goals scored.
But it is definitely worth saying that this year Craig Berube team plays much more powerfully on the home court than on the road. With the support of their stands, they have already managed to win 12 victories within 60 minutes, while on the road they have achieved success in regulation time only three times. It should also be noted that the club feels most comfortable within the second period, in which today it has a ratio of 36:24 in goals scored and goals conceded.
Disqualifications and injuries
Kempf, Jarknrock, Klingberg, Hakanpaa, Stolarz will not be able to take part in the upcoming match.
Interesting trends for betting
- Toronto has an 82.2% power play neutralization rate
According to this indicator, the club currently occupies the seventh position in the championship.
- Toronto averages 3.12 goals per game on home ice
Usually, at home, the team demonstrates decent performance and opens up the opponent defense three times
Buffalo Sabres
USACurrent form
Buffalo is currently one of the outsiders of the Eastern Conference and occupies the 14th position in the standings. The team is losing match after match, so, being in such form, it may even end up in last place. Let us recall that since the end of last month, it has been showing weak results and remains without a single win. At the moment, its losing streak consists of nine matches. Not long ago, on home ice, the Blades lost to Utah (2:5), Detroit (5:6 B) and Rangers (2:3), and in the current away series of matches, they lost to Washington with a score of 2:4.
At the same time, in the last three matches, the Sabres had excellent chances for success, because they looked decent against their opponents and lost with a minimal difference in the score. Even in the confrontation with the Capitals, the game was equal until the third period, but the outcome of the meeting was decided by literally one puck, which was still scored by the opponent.
It is noteworthy that in many matches Lindy Ruff team had a minimum number of goals scored, but at the same time they themselves conceded at least three or four times. If the first twenty minutes are often successful for them, then the second and third game segments often turn out to be failures. Also, Buffalo continues to act poorly in the majority and has only 13.8% of the extra man conversion rate to date.
Disqualifications and injuries
Lafferty, Dahlin and Greenway will be out for the upcoming match.
Interesting trends for betting
- Buffalo averages 10.03 penalty minutes per game.
"Blades" are usually removed at least five times per game
- Buffalo has a 26-37 lead in goals scored and allowed in the second period.
The Sabres score the least in the second period.
Trends
Bet 1st period: total over 1.5 goals
In three out of five matches between the teams, the first period was productive
1.80Bet 2nd period: guests will score
In four out of five games against Toronto, the visitors scored in the second period
1.57Tip and bets
We think that in this confrontation, everything is not so obvious. Toronto has previously shown inconsistent results and often stumbled in meetings with such opponents. Buffalo, in turn, has given a worthy rebuff to many teams recently and imposed a close fight. In addition, the Sabres finished two of the previous four matches against the Leafs in their favor. The Leafs have not achieved success with a difference of more than two goals in previous matches, so, in our opinion, it makes sense to bet on the handicap of the guests.
Prediction - Buffalo win with Asian handicap (+1.5) on goals for 1.65
Bet on individual total
Toronto has often faced problems with scoring in previous matches and often could not score more than two or three goals. Thus, in the last six cases, Craig Berube team was left with less than four goals scored. Plus, Buffalo itself usually manages with a small number of goals conceded in face-to-face meetings with the Leafs. Based on this, we suggest betting on the individual total of the hosts.
We take Toronto individual total under 3.5 goals for 1.72
Total Bet
Previous matches between the clubs were not particularly productive. Toronto has also rebuilt this season and has begun to pay more attention to defense, so matches with its participation often began to take place with fewer than six goals scored. Buffalo, after such a series of failures, will also try to play more carefully, so we would not expect a total greater in this confrontation.
We bet on total under 5.5 goals for 2.10
Upcoming matches
Read more
Tips from experts
Today tips
Betting predictions stat
