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NHL Free Pick: Maple Leafs vs. Penguins Betting Lines & Preview

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Weekly NHL Betting action sees the Toronto Maple Leafs taking on the Pittsburgh Penguins November 26 at Consol Energy Center. Cappers Picks provides free NHL handicapping tips all season long.

Two of the higher scoring teams in the NHL meet in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night when the Toronto Maple Leafs pay visit looking to beat the Penguins for the first time in three tries this year.

Daily NHL Hockey Odds

Toronto (11-8-1-1) at Pittsburgh (14-4-1-1)
When: 7:30 PM ET, Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Where: Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Broadcast: TVA, SN, ROOT
Maple Leafs Betting Odds: +1½ -170 +179
Penguins Betting Odds: -1½ +150 -197
NHL Over/Under Betting Odds: 5.5
***2014 NHL BONUSES***
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Click here to view today’s… NHL Matchup Angles | NHL Insider Gambling Preview

The Leafs shrugged off a terrible stretch last week and have looked good in the leadup to this matchup while the Penguins snapped an uncharacteristic two game losing streak Monday night against the Boston Bruins.

Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to be one of the more inconsistent teams in the NHL.

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Last week they lost consecutive games on home ice – to lowly Buffalo and to Nashville by a combined 15-4 score. Next they defeated two league heavyweights Tampa and Detroit.

One thing remains constant for Toronto however – their defensive play has been average at times and terrible at others. The team has allowed 2.95 goals per game – among the worst teams in the NHL right now. But Jonathan Bernier has been solid in his last two games stopping 52 of 55 shots and winning both.

The good news for the Leafs is that the offense has been stellar all season long scoring 3.19 goals per game.

Phil Kessel continues to lead the way – he has 11 goals and 12 assists in 21 games so far, James van Riemsdyk has 11 points in his last 11 games, Tyler Bozak scored twice against Detroit, Cody Franson has 10 points in his last nine games, Leo Komarov has three points in three games and even Dion Phaneuf has two points in his last three games.

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Joffrey Lupul is scheduled to return to the lineup after missing over a month with a broken hand and David Booth should be on the ice for the first time for Toronto – adding to an already impressive offense.

Toronto can and likely will score some goals Wednesday – it looks like it is going to be up to the defense to finally show up in this one.

Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins are where we thought they would be – near the top of the standings and scoring goals in bunches. The team is averaging a terrific 3.50 goals per games and are allowing 2.25 goals per game – a recipe for success indeed!

Evgeni Malkin scored twice Monday and has four goals and four assists during a five game point streak, Patric Hornqvist has four points in his last three games and Chris Letang has two points in his last two games. Perhaps the best news is that Sidney Crosby broke a two game pointless streak with a goal on Monday night. His slump wasn`t going to last – an explosion seems imminent for the best player in the world.

Crosby has 21 goals and 26 assists in 30 career games against the Leafs, while Malkin has 13 and 34 in 26 matchups.

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It remains to be seen who will start between the pipes for Pittsburgh – Thomas Greiss started and won the last matchup of these teams a couple of weeks ago but Marc-Andre Fleury has been on fire going 7-1-1 in his last nine starts with a 1.83 GAA and .937 save percentage.

NHL Gambling Trends

• Under is 8-2 in TOR last 10 games following a win.
• Over is 7-2 in TOR last 9 overall.
• TOR are 7-2 in their last 9 vs. Eastern Conference.
• PIT are 9-2 in their last 11 Wed. games.
• PIT are 11-3 in their last 14 overall.
• Over is 20-6 in PIT last 26 Wed. games.
• Over is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings in Pittsburgh.
• Over is 21-9-1 in the last 31 meetings.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have won four straight games against Toronto. Even though there were only three goals scored between these teams in the last matchup, that was the exception, not the rule.

NHL Betting 4* Free Play

I expect the game to be high scoring Wednesday – these teams average a combined 6.69 goals per game.

The Over 5 1/2 goals

The play here is the Over – 5 1/2 goals – there is simply no value in taking the Pens on the Moneyline.

CappersPicks.com NHL Betting and gambling site provides the BEST Online hockey predictions for you to bet on for the NHL hockey season! Stick with us all season long!

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By DaveB

Dave B has been a Fantasy Football writer for us for 10 years. A couch potato wannabe, Dave’s insights have been read by 10’s of people for years. He hope’s for world peace + global relaxation. Enjoy and remember only smoke things that are completely natural.