Toronto Should Take Down Utah Behind Strong Goalie Play

Maple Leaf vs. Hockey Club, 10:00 ET

We are in March, and with that comes the madness of College Basketball. However, today's slate of games isn't my favorite that I've seen. As a result, I decided that I am going to take on a game that I do have a lot of interest. This one comes on the ice as we head back to the NHL for another good game. This has been a pretty good season overall, but there certainly have been a couple of dips as well. Tonight, we take on the game between the Maple Leafs and the Hockey Club. 

Toronto comes into tonight's game with a much more positive season than their opponent. For the year, they are 38-22-3 overall, and one of the better teams in the league. They have been just as good on the road as they have been at home. They are 18-11-2 on the road currently, and looking to continue to improve. Over the past five games the team is just 2-3, but if you zoom out a bit they are actually 8-4 over their past 12 games. This is the fourth time the team has lost three games in a row this season. However, they have never had four straight losses this year. I do think it is a bit unique that they have that many three-game losing streaks in a season with just 22 losses. The team has struggled on defense lately, giving up 15 goals over the past three games and scoring just eight. The Maple Leafs are expected to have Anthony Stolarz in the net tonight. He's been phenomenal for them this season with a 13-6-3 record, allowing just 2.34 goals per game - fourth in the league, and a .921 save percentage which is second in the NHL. He hasn't been quite as sharp so far in March, but he is doing well. 

TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 24: Jack McBain #22 of the Utah Hockey Club celebrates scoring a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the third period at the Scotiabank Arena on November 24, 2024 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)

Utah hasn't had quite as impressive of a season as Toronto, but it also hasn't been all that bad either. For the year, the Hockey Club is 28-25-10 for the season. At home, they have been sub-par with a below .500 record at 12-13-6 for the year. They have been playing pretty decent hockey lately with a 3-2 record over their past five games and 7-4 over their past 11 games, similar to what is in line with what the Maple Leafs have done. In the wins, they have allowed two or fewer goals in six of the seven games. In the losses, they are allowing three or more goals, including four or more in three of them. When their defense is good, they are very good. When the defense is bad, it is really bad. The goalie tonight is expected to be Karel Vejmelka. He's actually been very good for them despite a 17-16-5 record. He is allowing a 2.48 goals against per game average which is ninth best in the NHL. He also has a .910 save percentage, which is 12th. 

This game has two teams that are playing fairly good hockey at the moment. We also get two goalies who are playing really well this season. Toronto has the better one, but Utah can boast about their own goalie as well which makes me think this could be an under. The thing is that I don't like Utah at home, and I think the Maple Leafs are the better team overall. I'll back them here and take Toronto -120 in this one.