Maple Leafs picks vs. Canucks Jan. 20: Bet on a high-scoring game in Vancouver

The Toronto Maple Leafs enter a measuring stick game against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night.

The pregame narrative: Toronto hasn't been on top of its game, but at least Auston Matthews is finding his stride. Vancouver's offence has been lethal all season long and should do most of the heavy lifting on over 6.5 total goals. The Canucks are the right side to wager on considering their recent form, too.

NHL oddsas of 4:43 p.m. ET on 01/19/2024.

Maple Leafs picks vs. Canucks

Best Bet: Over 6.5 goals (-125)

Toronto's top stars led the way on Thursday night.

Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander combined for seven points in a 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames. That's the same amount of points the trio accumulated in the team's previous four games.

The three forwards all finally put a respectable effort together and the hope is that carries over into Saturday night.

We know the Canucks can score at will. Vancouver leads the league in goals per game (3.78) and shooting percentage (13.4%), according to Natural Stat Trick. Everything the team puts on net seems to find its way through.

The over on this total has cashed in five of the Canucks' last seven games and in four of Toronto's last six. Both squads are playing high-event hockey and that should continue.

Key stat: Vancouver has the third-highest over percentage (61.1%) in the NHL, according to Scores and Odds.

Quick pick

Canucks moneyline (-132): Vancouver's stars and depth players are outproducing Toronto's.

The Canucks' top four offensive weapons of J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes and Brock Boeser have combined for 219 points. The Maple Leafs' Core Four (Matthews, Marner, Nylander and John Tavares) have totalled 195 points.

Four other Vancouver players have eclipsed 20 points this season while just two other Leafs have, proving that the Canucks can rely on more consistent production throughout the lineup.

Vancouver also boasts a significant goaltending edge. The Canucks rank third in team save percentage (.916) while Toronto sits 21st (.895).

Take the more complete team and the one that has won six of its last seven.