Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the NHL match.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Canadian club has been earning points for 9 consecutive matches, winning 4 of them and finishing 5 in a draw in regular time. Toronto have the most draws in their conference (13 times). At home, they have 8 consecutive matches when they have earned some points, and in the last 3, they keep the clean sheet. The Canadian team is in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference, and in goals scored, they are in 2nd place. The average total in matches involving Toronto is 6.5, exceeded only by 3 clubs. Swedish forward William Nylander is the team's top scorer and ranks 7th among all league players. His attacking partner, American with Mexican roots Auston Matthews, traditionally leads the tournament's top snipers. Currently, Matthews has 23 goals, sharing the 1st place with Brock Boeser from Vancouver. Matthews also shares the 5th place among all league players in the number of goals scored in power play (7).
New Your Rangers
One of the most popular teams in the league approaches this meeting as the leader of the Eastern Division. New York is in the top 3 in the East in terms of goals conceded, and the average total in matches with their participation is 5.9, which is an average indicator for the conference. The side has won the last 2 matches, but at home, the club has not won in regular time for 3 meetings in a row. At the same time, the Rangers are the best team in the East in terms of points earned in their away games. Russian forward Artemi Panarin ranks 4th in among the tournament's top scorers. Panarin, as well as Chris Kreider, share the 9th place among the best snipers in the NHL.
Toronto Maple Leafs – New Your Rangers prediction
Both teams approach the match in non-optimal line-ups, but if the injuries of Kakko and Heed for the guests are important but not fatal, then for the hosts, the list of injured players is more extensive. For various reasons, 7 players will not be able to play for them at once, but the main ones among them are the pair of defenders Klingberg and Giordano, as well as the club's top sniper Matthews. Taking into account the quantity and quality of injuries, as well as the reliable defence of the guests, I assume that in this meeting, we will not see many goals. Less than 6 goals have been scored in regular time in 5 out of the last 7 matches.
