Will Seattle remain the league’s shooting gallery?

Seattle’s road in the NHL has been rocky, yet markedly different than that of the last expansion team from Las Vegas. No one has been talking about playoffs in the north of the USA for a long time – quite unlike their opponents from Toronto.

They are even considered one of the secret favourites, even though they have never really been able to confirm this designation with their performances in recent years. Above all, their consistency is sometimes lacking.

However, they have to be seen as the clear favourites at home against the Kraken on Tuesday. Because that’s when a top 5 offence (Leafs) meets one of the five weakest defences (Kraken). That suggests not only a home win, but also plenty of goals.

Our forecast for Toronto vs. Seattle is thus a similar result to that of just under a month ago, when this duel in Seattle ended 6:2 for the Leafs. However, as the Kraken have gained some form since then, it could be at least a little closer in the re-match.

Toronto Maple Leafs – Statistics & current form

Rank seven – that is not only the current position if we put all the teams of the NHL in a table, but also their position  among the favourites for the Stanley Cup. So the Canadians can definitely still be counted among the co-favourites.

Even though they have not won a single play-off round since 2004. In this respect, they are something like the Cincinnati Bengals of the NHL. And we all know how the tide has turned for the Bengals this year. So there’s still hope for the Leafs.

Powerplay as a great strength

The Leafs’ offensive stats definitely speak to the fact that they are doing better in the postseason this year. 3.64 goals per represent the fifth best value in the league, and they are even the clear best team in the overtime game with 29.3%.

This also makes them the only team to be ahead in two of the most important statistics. They are also the clear No.1 in face-offs with a 56.2% success rate. Since they are also in the top 6 in penalty killing with 83.8%, they are also ahead in many areas that are important for the play-offs.

2.95 goals conceded per game is too much

All of which would argue for the Leafs being even bigger favourites to win the Stanley Cup as well, were it not for their perennially shaky defence. With 2.95 goals conceded per game, they rank only 16th.

Goalie Jack Campbell is also only 20th with a save percentage of 91.5%, so it’s almost tragic for Toronto that their long-time goaltender Frederik Andersen, of all people, is third in this statistic with 92.8% – for the Carolina Hurricanes.

For Tuesday against the Kraken, all these statistics should nevertheless be enough to win the game. The defensive weakness, however, makes a bet on Toronto + over points for Leafs vs. Kraken a real secret tip.

Key Players:
G: Jack Campbell
D: Morgan Rielly
D: Timothy Liljegren
LW: Michael Bunting
C: Auston Matthews
RW: Mitch Marner

Seattle Kraken – Statistics & current form

The Seattle Kraken are the newest member of the NHL and, as expected, are struggling in their first season. This is how it usually went when a team was completely new to the league. The only exception was the Golden Knights five years ago, who surprisingly went straight to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Normally, however, the franchise has to find its feet first, especially since it cannot yet boast many top stars. Mark Giordano or Jordan Eberle are already the most prominent names – but both have their best years behind them.

Grubauer also not yet in best form

Germany’s national goalie Philipp Grubauer also still has to get used to his new team. With a save percentage of 88.8%, he is a whopping 3.4% behind the one from last year. That is clearly too much to be able to call the season good.

But that is also due to the completely new defence, which allows a total of 3.55 goals per game. Since they only score 2.53 goals offensively, they are one of only three teams overall with a ratio of more than -1 goal per game.

Kraken are becoming more competitive

However, the results from mid-January show that there is a development. At one point, they even won four out of six games, including against the strong Panthers and Penguins.

Recently, however, this high ebbed somewhat, which is why we see them as clear underdogs against Toronto. For Maple Leafs vs. Kraken, the odds are therefore very bettable on both Toronto -1.5 and Leafs + Over point.

Key Players:
G: Philipp Grubauer
D: Mark Giordano
D: Carson Soucy
LW: Calle Jarnkrok
C: Jared McCann
RW: Jordan Eberle

Toronto Maple Leafs – Seattle Kraken Direct Comparison / H2H-Balance

Because the Kraken only came into the league this season, they haven’t even been able to play all the teams yet. Against Toronto, however, they already had the pleasure – though it wasn’t really a pleasure.

The Leafs won 6-2 in that first meeting in mid-February, and Toronto’s face-off superiority was once again evident (59% to 41%). In all other areas, however, the Kraken were almost on a par.

In this respect, the result was a little too high. For Toronto vs. Seattle, the odds on a clear Leafs win on Tuesday are bettable, but we get a little more value for combination bets of Toronto + Over 5.5. We should therefore use this option.

Toronto Maple Leafs – Seattle Octopus Tip

The Maple Leafs score 1.11 more goals per game than the Kraken, but concede 0.60 less. That makes a difference of 1.71 goals per game, which in turn makes betting on Leafs -1.5 the most obvious choice for Tuesday.

However, Seattle has held their opponents to a one-score game three times in their last five games, making a bet on Leafs + Over 5.5 our betting recommendation for Toronto vs Seattle. This would also cover a close Leafs win.