- What: Maple Leafs vs Arizona Coyotes
- When: Wednesday, February 21st, 10 PM ET
- Where: Mullett Arena
The Toronto Maple Leafs will take their four-game winning streak into the desert on Wednesday evening as they visit the lowly Arizona Coyotes. The puck is scheduled to drop at 10 PM ET at Mullett Arena in Tempe. Toronto has been thriving since the All-Star break and just took care of the St. Louis Blues on Monday night, beating them 4-2. Arizona on the other hand is in the midst of a 10-game losing skid and just fell to Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers on Monday by a score of 6-3. Tough times for this franchise and it won't get any easier against an Eastern Conference powerhouse. Below, find the Maple Leafs vs Coyotes picks.
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Maple Leafs vs Coyotes Odds
| Team |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maple Leafs | -197 | -200 | -195 |
| Coyotes | +175 | +170 | +170 |
The Leafs are a heavy -200 favorite on Wednesday for an implied win probability of 66.67%. The Coyotes return at +175 and have been given a 36.36% chance of taking this contest. Toronto is also favored by 1.5 on the puck line while the total is set at 6.5. The Maple Leafs are actually struggling against Arizona, losing four straight. But, their last meeting was in December of 2022. Something to keep in mind.
Leafs Are Flourishing
Yes, Toronto always seems to disappoint when it comes playoff time, but boy, they couldn't be any better since hosting the All-Star festivities at Scotiabank Arena. The Leafs are 8-2-0 in their last 10 outings and have lost only twice in the second half so far. Across the last two outings alone, the Maple Leafs have outscored their opponents 13-4. They hammered the Anaheim Ducks 9-2 over the weekend before the victory over the Blues a couple of nights ago.
Auston Matthews scored his NHL-best 49th goal in the win, taking his point total to 73 on the season. William Nylander, Matthew Knies, and Bobby McMann all found the back of the net in this game, too. In between the posts, Ilya Samsonov made 19 saves on 21 shots. Toronto was physical and clinical on Monday and it paid off. Offense is definitely the name of the game for Sheldon Keefe's squad, ranking fourth in the league with 3.57 goals per night. It does help when you have two guys with over 70 points in Nylander and Matthews. Plus, the likes of Morgan Reilly, Mitch Marner, and John Tavares are all consistent contributors, too.
This stretch after visiting Arizona will be a good test for the Leafs, though. They will face the defending champion Golden Knights before also traveling to the Mile High City to clash with the Avalanche, the Cup winners from two seasons ago. After that, it's back home to host Vegas. We'll see if Toronto can keep their winning ways going. But first, the focus will simply be on taking care of a Coyotes team they should comfortably beat.
Coyotes Are a Mess
The last number of years have been miserable if you're a Coyotes fan and 2023-24 is no different. This team is sitting in seventh in the Central Division with a poor 23-28-4 record and as previously mentioned, are winless in 10 games. It doesn't get much worse than that. Yes, Arizona has played numerous contenders during this span including the Golden Knights, the Hurricanes, the Lightning, and the Panthers, but it's really not an excuse. They're an NHL team who should be able to compete.
The Oilers contest seemed to be a possible win for the Coyotes. They took a 3-2 lead into the third period after Nick Bjugstad scored twice and Clayton Keller as well, but it all went downhill after that. Edmonton scored four times in the final period, absolutely overwhelming the Arizona blue line. Conceding goals is a major problem for the Coyotes, ranking 20th in that category. They're also allowing the most penalty minutes of any organization in the NHL.
It doesn't seem like Arizona's schedule is getting any easier, either. After the Leafs come to town, the Jets and Canadiens visit before Toronto comes back for another encounter next Thursday. Perhaps their track record against the Leafs could give the Yotes some confidence on Wednesday, but it's unlikely. They're 15-13-0 at Mullett Arena this season.
Maple Leafs vs Coyotes Picks
The Leafs are red-hot and the Coyotes are not. Despite the skid against Arizona, I have no doubt they will put a beatdown on the Yotes Wednesday evening. Take the moneyline with confidence.
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