St. Louis Blues vs Toronto Maple Leafs - Odds and Predictions

Where: Scotiabank Arena – Toronto, Ontario, Canada

When: Monday, October 7, 7PM EST

How (TV/Radio): Fox Sports, NHL Network | FAN590, WFAN

St. Louis Blues (Away)

Head Coach: Craig Berube{All-Time 113-77-35 STL, PHI}

The defending Cup champs, the St. Louis Blues, head into the home arena of the Toronto Maple Leafs this Monday, and it may be a glimpse into what we could see in this year’s Stanley Cup final. At the time of writing, the Blues have only played their season/home opener against the Washington Capitals. After a raucous Stanley Cup banner raising ceremony, the Blues were ultimately upset by the Caps in overtime. But the outing, as a whole, showed promise for the season.

Offense

While only mustering 22 shots on net, the Blues scored twice, giving them a 9.1 percent shooting percentage. They also went 50 percent on the power play and won 50.8 percent of their faceoffs. The offensive core of the team gelled and may just need a few more games to really open up and find their stride. Never known as an overly offensive, high-scoring club, the Blues put up a good show against the team that had won the Stanley Cup just one year prior.

Defense

Ironically, the team known as a mostly defensive team ,weren’t without their struggles on the backend. The three goals the team allowed were, in fairness, non-controversial and the team can hardly be blamed. However, they did allow over 30 shots against (34 to be exact), took three penalties, and only killed one. The penalty kill sits at only 66.7 percent. Albeit this is only after one game and much like the offense, things should start to come together for the team that spent most of its offseason celebrating.

Goaltending

Unsurprisingly, especially when going up against a team like Toronto, Jordan Binnington will get the start for St. Louis. After an incredible rookie season, Binnington has established himself at the number-one goaltender for the Blues. He had a good showing in his season debut against the Washington Capitals, finishing the game with a higher-than-average (for him) GAA of 2.86 but a great .912 save percentage after facing 34 shots against. This game should be Binnington’s first major test of the season.

Head Coach: Mike Babcock{All-Time 693-408-19-160 TOR, DET, MDA}

The Toronto Maple Leafs are essentially picking up where they left off last season, as an offensive powerhouse that can score from anywhere on the ice no matter which line is playing. Toronto has started the season by going 2-0, defeating provincial and divisional rivals, the Ottawa Senators, and the Columbus Blue Jackets. In those two games, the Leafs have scored nine goals.

Offense

The Leafs have averaged 4.5 goals and 35 shots per game. That’s a lot of pressure for an opposing team to face. They are 30 percent on the power play and have a staggering 12.7 percent shooting percentage. The only weakness to start the season comes in the faceoff circle where Toronto has won less than half of their draws. John Tavares, Auston Matthews, and Mitch Marner have already combined for ten points and even the newest additions to the team, whether they be rookies or traded in, have already gotten in on the scoring as well.

 

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Setting the strategy

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Defense

On the other side of the ice, the Leafs have given up only four goals and allowed only an average of 27 shots against. What looks to be the only downfall so far for Toronto is the amount of penalties they have taken. For now, they are holding their own with an 87.5 percent penalty kill success rate but how long can they keep that up when they are averaging almost ten penalty minutes per game?

Goaltending

Leafs’ starter Frederik Andersen will be in the crease for Toronto in what could end up being an elite goaltending duel. Andersen seems well-rested after playing 60 games last season. He currently has a season record of 2-0 with a 2.00 goals against average and a .927 save percentage.

The last time these two teams faced off against one another was back on February 19 and it was the St. Louis Blues who came out as the victors, defeating the Maple Leafs with a score of 3-2.

What’s at Stake?

Once again, it’s far too early in the season for much to be at stake other than bragging rights. But what we see in this game could be worth mentioning down the road as these two teams are both poised to be Cup contenders. Should Toronto face off against St. Louis in this season’s Stanley Cup final, than this game will surely be looked back on for reference to see how well they fared against one another.

Questions to Answer

How will St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington fare against what will surely be his first big test of the season? Will he be able to handle the offensive prowess of the Toronto Maple Leafs?

With that in mind, how will the St. Louis Blues defense fare against Auston Matthews and the Toronto forwards? Can they keep the Maple Leafs to under 30 shots?

Will the Toronto Maple Leafs forwards be able to find ways through the larger, grittier team of the Blues? Will they be able to put scoring chances together against such a defense-first minded team?

St. Louis Blues Injury Report

F Erik Foley – IR (concussion)

Toronto Maple Leafs Injury Report

F Zach Hyman – DL (knee)

D Travis Dermott – DL (shoulder)

F Mason Marchment – IR (undisclosed)

F Kalle Kossila – IR (undisclosed)

Current Odds Listed for Blues vs Leafs

Check out the latest odds here, provided by New Jersey sportsbooks: 888Sport, Unibet and Draftkings.

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