Two teams jockeying for position atop the North Division standings will meet on the ice on Wednesday night as the Toronto Maple Leafs open a two-game road series in Winnipeg as -135 favourites on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto hits the road after falling 3-2 in overtime to Edmonton on Monday, and sits just one point up on Winnipeg in the division going into Wednesday's matchup at Bell MTS Place.
With Monday's defeat the Maple Leafs saw a three-game win streak come to an end. The team welcomed its recent surge after losing six of its previous seven contests. However, Toronto has been far from dominant in its turnaround, with three of its past four games getting settled in overtime.
The Maple Leafs also have work to do to overcome recent uneven play on the road. Toronto has claimed victory in just one of its last four contests away from Scotiabank Arena, a narrow 3-2 overtime win in Ottawa last Thursday.
After scoring more than three goals in just four of their last 16 outings, and now facing concerns in net, the Maple Leafs are expected to be active ahead of the April 12 trade deadline. Toronto has emerged as a +110 betting favourite to trade for Nashville Predators forward Mikael Granlund by the deadline, and sits at +225 odds to acquire veteran goalkeeper Jonathan Quick from the Los Angeles Kings.
While the Maple Leafs seek to regain their steady early-season form, the Jets return home for Wednesday's contest as +115 underdogs. The Jets wrapped up a seven-game road trip in dominating fashion on Monday, topping the fading Calgary Flames 5-1 to improve to 4-1-0 in their past five games.
With goaltender Connor Hellebuyck flashing Vezina-winning form, Winnipeg has surrendered just eight total goals over its past five games, but has allowed 3.25 goals per game while losing two of its last four on home ice. And while the Jets have split four road meetings with Toronto this season, they have been outscored by a wide 17-7 margin in three straight home losses to the Maple Leafs.
Also on the Wednesday NHL odds, the Flames will be looking to remain in playoff contention as they visit the slumping Vancouver Canucks as -120 road chalk at online betting sites.
Losers in six of their past eight games, the Flames now sit deadlocked with Vancouver in fifth place in the North Division standings, with both teams chasing the Montreal Canadiens for the final postseason berth. Calgary has scored more than twice just once in its past six games, but faces a Canucks team that has surrendered 14 total goals while losing three in a row.
