Maple Leafs odds and best bet vs. Stars Oct. 26: Fade Toronto against Dallas
The Toronto Maple Leafs face their toughest test yet in a road date with the Dallas Stars.
The pregame narrative: Road wins over the Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals have Toronto in a good spot ahead of this game, but the club will have to be at its best against a strong Stars squad. Dallas has been a little more impressive through the early portion of this campaign and is our pick to win.
Below are our Maple Leafs odds and best bet vs. the Stars for Thursday, October 26.
NHL oddsas of 5:06 p.m. ET on 10/25/23.
Maple Leafs odds and best bet vs. Stars
Best Bet: Stars moneyline (-125)
Dallas' only loss was a 3-2 defeat in overtime to the 7-0-0 Vegas Golden Knights, certainly not something we're going to hold against the team.
The Stars have looked a little more well-rounded than their opponent, supplying a solid amount of offence and defence. They're tied for third in goals against per game (2.00) and are tied for 14th in goals per contest (3.00).
Goaltending is where Dallas holds a major advantage over the Maple Leafs. It ranks second in team save percentage (.940) while the Leafs place 22nd (.890), per Natural Stat Trick.
Joseph Woll has been sharp for Toronto, posting a .958 save percentage in three games but he hasn't exactly faced the toughest opposition.
Here's where his opponents rank in goals per game this season:
- Chicago Blackhawks, 2.00 (T-29th)
- Lightning, 3.29 (12th)
- Washington Capitals, 1.20 (32nd)
Outside of his impressive relief appearance against Tampa Bay, it's a pretty bleak list.
If he draws the start on Thursday, he'll have a prime opportunity to continue proving himself at the NHL level. Until we see it, we're going to side with the home team that carries a defence and goaltending edge behind Jake Oettinger.
Key stat: The Stars are 2-0-0 at home after going 22-10-9 at American Airlines Center last season.
