Ducks Can't Score, Take The Under

Maple Leafs vs. Ducks, 9:00 ET

You'll never believe it, but once again, I shared a hockey loser. Not only did I think the Penguins were going to win yesterday, I thought they would win by two or more goals. Well, the Capitals had other ideas and I was dead wrong about the result. I wish I could put my finger on what the issue is, but unfortunately, I can't. I'm going to keep firing away, because I won't run scared - and there is very little to bet on during these days between football games! Let me see if I can get us back on track in a game between the Maple Leafs and the Ducks.

The Maple Leafs are off to a decent enough start with an 18-10-7 record and have played some of their best hockey on the road. They have gotten at least a point in 14 of their 17 road games this season which is encouraging for tonight as they visit a team that is really struggling this season. On the year, the Maple Leafs have been led by Auston Matthews and William Nylander. Nylander already has 50 points on the year and is setting up his teammates regularly. He has racked up 31 assists this year. The Maple Leafs are coming off of a nice team effort against the Kings where they produced a solid 3-0 victory. Tonight, they face a Ducks team that is allowing 3.39 goals per game, but only scores 2.56 per contest.

PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 30: Greg Cronin of the Anaheim Ducks in action against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG PAINTS Arena on October 30, 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Ducks record reflects a team that is very bad at just 13-23-0 on the season. In digging around, I don't think they are quite as bad as that record suggests, but I'm not here to tell you that they are a good team either. They have an extreme amount of penalty minutes with almost 200 more this season than their opponent has gone through, but they are pretty good at killing penalties as well. The biggest issue for them is their offense. I mentioned their goals per game average, and obviously, that is not going to get the job done. Even looking at their last five games, they've been shut out twice and scored two goals in two of the other games. That level of production is not going to work unless you have an elite defense. The Ducks do not have an elite defense.

The Maple Leafs are a good hockey team and should coast to a win in this game. But, I'm not advising betting on the moneyline or on the puck line, at least not tonight. I think this game is an under. The Maple Leafs do give a lot of goals, or about as many per game as the Ducks, but the Ducks offense just can't score. I think this is probably a 3-1 or 4-2 game and will take the under 6.5 in this one.

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