The NHL is back in action of Friday evening as the Toronto Maple Leafs will face the New York Islanders at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The Maple Leafs are heading into this game on the wings of the recent 4-3 home win over the Panthers. On the other side, the Islanders celebrated a 4-3 away win over the Senators in Ottawa.
Toronto Maple Leafs Form
The Maple Leafs were able to secure a playoff spot this year as they are aiming for a good form heading into the postseason. They have now won seven of their last nine games. On the offensive side of their game, Toronto has been solid of late as they have now averaged 4.11 goals per game over their last nine games while letting just 2.42 goals per game over their last seven games. The Maple Leafs away from is 19-19 for the year with an average of 3.26 goals per game while letting in 2.95 goals per game in those games.
Toronto has been very solid on offense so far as they come in ranked 3rd in the league in scoring at 3.30 goals per game, with a converting record of 23.6% of their chances. At the defensive end of the ice, they have been above average so far as they come in on the 12th place in goals allowed, letting in 2.82 goals per game, while allowing opponents to convert on 17.3% of their chances.
The New York Islanders Form
The New York Islanders do not have a great season this year and unfortunately, they will no be part of the playoff games. The Islanders head into this game after a 4-3 away win over the Ottawa Senators. However, their form is still awful as they have lost 14 of their last 17 games. New York has not won two games in a row since the begging of the year and they were constantly struggling throughout the second part of the season. Their only real motivation is to play for pride as the team is looking forward to the offseason as an opportunity to regroup for next year.
The Islanders are ranked on the 7th spot in the league in scoring at 3.16 goals per game while converting on 22.3% of their chances. Their defensive record is very poor, as they are ranked 31st in goals allowed, letting in an average of 3.58 goals per game, while allowing the opposing teams to convert on 25.4% of their chances.
My prediction for this game is based on two interesting elements. First, the Islanders have won two games in a row just once since Jan 13th and 15th and believe that they will not be able to that today. The second is that the Leafs have been playing good offensive hockey all year with a score of 4.11 goals per game over their last nine games. Combined with that is the Islanders average score of 3.00 goals per game over their last 10 games and 3.37 goals per game here at home. That is why I think that this will be a tight game with around 7 to 9 goals scored with the Maple Leafs finishing on top of what is likely to be a tight contest.
My Free Pick & Prediction for Toronto Maple Leafs vs. New York Islander for today on 3/30/2018 is: Take the Toronto Maple Leafs -165 (money line bet)
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