The Toronto Maple Leafs will be looking to get in a groove when they continue their five-game road trip on Tuesday afternoon against the struggling Washington Capitals. The puck is scheduled to drop at 6 p.m. ET at the Capital One Arena. Toronto is coming off an impressive overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of 4-3 in OT, moving them one game over .500 for the time being. DC meanwhile is winless in their last two, falling in overtime on Saturday to the Montreal Canadiens. This is the first meeting of the campaign between these Eastern Conference counterparts. Continue reading for Maple Leafs vs Capitals picks.
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Maple Leafs vs Capitals Odds
| Team |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Maple Leafs | -162 | -170 | -165 |
| Washington Capitals | +144 | +145 | +145 |
The Leafs are a big favorite here with -162 moneyline odds. The Caps come back at +144. The total in goals is set at 6.5. Toronto is on quite the run against Washington, winning five of the last six meetings. That includes 5-1 and 3-2 wins while also losing 5-2 last season.
Leafs Offense Thriving
When you have the talent of this core, it's almost impossible to not thrive in front of goal. Toronto has been firing on all cylinders offensively, scoring 3.6 goals per game and tallying an NHL-best 38.6 shots on target. They're doing a lot of damage. William Nylander is leading the way with four goals and five assists, while John Tavares also has nine points. Auston Matthews meanwhile has a team-high six goals and has played more minutes per contest than any other player on the roster. Understandable considering he is the superstar in Toronto.
However, the reason the Leafs don't have a great record early on is their lackluster defense. Toronto's blue line is allowing 3.8 goals per contest, which is one of the worst marks in the league. They gave up five goals to the lowly Canadiens, four to the Wild, and four to Connor Bedard's Chicago Blackhawks. The defensive unit needs to do a much better job and that includes first-stringer Igor Samsonov, who owns a 4.35 GAA. Not good enough.
The Maple Leafs showed some serious guts against the Lightning over the weekend, falling into a 3-1 hole by the end of the first period. But after a scoreless second, Toronto came out in the third and scored twice thanks to Matthew Knies, who produced both goals. Tavares ultimately sent his team home with the win after scoring in the extra period. The offensive brilliance was definitely on full display, tallying 52 shots to just 33 for Tampa Bay. Joseph Woll will get the start Tuesday amid Samsonov's struggles.
Capitals Need Ovechkin to Get Going
To be blunt, nothing is going right for Washington in 2023-24. After missing the playoffs last season, the Capitals are off to a brutal start, winning just one game and ranking towards the bottom of the NHL in numerous categories. They're dead last in goals scored (1.25), 30th in shots on goal, 31st in faceoff percentage, and 31st in power play percentage. Defensively, DC is allowing nearly four goals per night, too. Nightmare times for the franchise.
One of the biggest storylines is how non-existent Alex Ovechkin has been. He's yet to score in four games, tallying a mere two assists. Just not the Ovi we're used to seeing. Dylan Strome has two goals and that's the most on the squad. Last Wednesday, the Senators thrashed the Caps 6-1 before they went to Montreal and lost 3-2. Washington went into the third down 2-0 but managed to tie things up thanks to Strome. But, Cole Caufield eventually won it for the Habs in OT, dropping the visitors to 1-2-1 on the year.
While the offense has yet to get going, Tuesday presents a clear opportunity to do so. As previously mentioned, the Leafs aren't exactly the most solid defensively so perhaps the Capitals can gain some confidence and start to put some goals away. They will also have their work cut out for them however with Toronto's attack full of so many weapons. This won't be an easy one.
Maple Leafs vs Capitals Picks
Washington simply hasn't shown anything. They're not worth betting on and Toronto just took down a strong Lightning group. Hammer the Maple Leafs moneyline here.
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