Maple Leafs picks and props vs. Coyotes Feb. 29: Bet on plenty of goals
The Toronto Maple Leafs aim to get back to their winning ways against the Arizona Coyotes.
The pregame narrative: Arizona enters this contest on a 13-game losing streak but I'm backing the Yotes on the puck line. Additionally, I'm picking Matias Maccelli to record a point and the over.
NHL oddsas of 10:11 a.m. ET on 02/29/2024.
Maple Leafs picks vs. Coyotes
Best Bet: Coyotes +1.5 (-113)
It's never been easy to be a Coyotes fan, but it's especially tough these days.
Playing in a tiny arena with no plans to leave is a major problem. So is the team's disheartening cycle of losing. The squad has dropped 13 consecutive games ahead of this one.
That includes a 6-3 home loss to these very Maple Leafs just last week.
But I'm expecting a different result this time around. Arizona has been competitive in its two games since, losing 4-3 to the Winnipeg Jets in overtime before outshooting the Montreal Canadiens, 38-21, but ultimately losing, 4-2.
This has all of the makings of a trap game for Toronto, too. The Maple Leafs just battled the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights and have the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins on deck after this game.
Expect this to be a surprisingly close contest.
Key stat: Arizona has covered this spread in five of its last six games against Toronto.
Quick picks
Maccelli to score 1+ points (-114): Maccelli remains a consistent offensive force despite Arizona's poor results.
The Coyotes forward has a point in three consecutive games and four of his last five (five total).
He's up to 39 points on the campaign, which is actually second on the Yotes.
He skates on the team's top power play, and that unit should find success when up a man in this game. Toronto ranks 23rd on the penalty kill (77.6%) this season.
Over 6.5 goals (-110): Thirdly, I'm betting on this being a high-scoring affair.
Toronto leads the NHL in goals per game (3.66) and the offence will likely contribute a decent amount to this total.
The over on this total has hit in each of the Maple Leafs' last four games and six of their last seven.
Conversely, the Coyotes have gone over this mark in four of their last five outings.
