The Toronto Maple Leafs will be looking to pick up a fifth straight win for the first time in over two years on New Year’s Day when they host the Detroit Red Wings outdoors as -155 betting favourites in the NHL Centennial Classic.
Toronto returns home after going unbeaten on a four-game road trip, which wrapped up on Thursday with a 3-2 overtime win in Tampa Bay as a +116 betting underdog. That lifted the team into contention for a playoff spot in the Atlantic Division ahead of Sunday afternoon’s Red Wings vs. Maple Leafs betting matchup at Exhibition Stadium.
The holiday season road swing has proven to be a tonic for the Maple Leafs, who had struggled in the month prior to Christmas, going 4-6-4 in 14 games including six home defeats, and recording consecutive wins just twice in their previous 19 outings.
The Leafs, though, were firing on all cylinders on their recent road trip, outscoring opponents by a 16-5 margin. Goaltender Frederik Andersen turned aside 114 of 117 shots in wins over Colorado, Arizona, and Florida, before turning over the crease to Antoine Bibeau, who earned his first NHL win against the Lightning on Thursday night.
Detroit, a +140 underdog for Sunday’s game, has seen its odds to win the Stanley Cup plummet since opening the season at a respectable +2500 to claim the championship.
The Red Wings grabbed a 3-2 victory in Ottawa on Thursday night as +130 underdogs, marking their fifth win in their past five road contests. However, it has been a disappointing campaign for Detroit, which has lost six of nine overall and is just 10-14-4 in 28 games since opening the season on a 6-2-0 run.
Of particular concern for the Red Wings is their recent lack of success in dates with division rivals. Detroit has claimed victory in just five of its past 17 clashes with Atlantic squads, according to the OddsShark NHL Database, failing to record consecutive wins against division foes since last March.
The Red Wings, though, have enjoyed success as the road team in recent outdoor games, including a 5-3 win over the Avalanche last February, and a 6-4 win over the Blackhawks at Wrigley Field in 2009.
Detroit has also taken three of its last four games against the Maple Leafs including a pair of one-goal wins in its past two visits to Toronto, but dropped a 3-2 shootout decision in an outdoor clash between these two clubs at Michigan Stadium on New Year’s Day back in 2014.