Seattle Kraken vs. Toronto Maple Leafs NHL Pick March 8

Following a narrow and nervy victory last night in Columbus, the Toronto Maple Leafs will return home to take on the expansion Seattle Kraken on Tuesday evening.

While Toronto got off to a hot start on the year, it’s been a bit of a rough stretch for the Buds. Goaltending hasn’t been the greatest, and after Petr Mrazek played last night in Columbus, the Leafs will again turn to Jack Campbell between the pipes. Campbell is mired in a very poor stretch, and qualifies as one of the league’s worst goalies over the last little while. He’s allowed 5 goals in 7 of his past 14 starts, and despite Toronto’s elite-level offense, no team can outscore those deficiencies.

For the Kraken, it’s been a disappointing season. While many foresaw this group coming in and being pretty solid from the get-go, the success hasn’t followed in the Pacific Northwest. Former Leafs coach Dave Hakstol sits as the team’s head coach, and will no doubt be familiar with his old club. Seattle has issues throughout their roster, but their goaltending has been as equally brutal as Toronto’s. Neither Chris Driedger nor Phillip Grubauer have been reliable in goal for Seattle, and that’s a problem given the quality of Toronto’s shooters.

With the Leafs desperately needing to accumulate points as they prep for another post-season run, they can ill-afford to leave more points on the table against the lowly Kraken. Toronto should be better on home ice with fans back into Scotiabank Arena, and it’ll be interesting to see which version of the Leafs we get on Tuesday evening given the fact that Toronto played last night in Columbus.

Continue reading on beneath the posted odds for the latest news, trends, and betting analysis, as we break down this Leafs/Kraken showdown. It’s been a red-hot stretch for us of late on the ice, and we’ll look to keep this rolling on Tuesday evening.

This is a monster shift by Auston Matthews before Marner's goal pic.twitter.com/jxRMqQvle8

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) March 8, 2022

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Seattle Kraken Live Odds & Betting History

*These odds are provided by BetOnline.ag

Seattle Kraken vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Prediction:

While Toronto was out battling hard last night deep in the state of Ohio, the Kraken were already in Toronto patiently awaiting tonight’s puck drop. With the Leafs tired, and turning back to a massively struggling Jack Campbell, it could be yet another disappointing defensive showing for the porous Leafs.

The Kraken haven’t been able to generate much success in their inaugural season, but still possess enough skill and speed to be able to really hinder the Leafs’ blue-line. Led by a solid top-line trio of Jared McCann, Jordan Eberle, and Calle Jarnkrok, that group of dependable veterans can pressure Toronto’s back-end with their skill, speed, and vision. A physical and veteran blue-line in Seattle has admittedly underperformed, but should be up for the challenge of limiting Toronto’s potent top-line talents in Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.

It’ll be interesting to see how Toronto fares in a back-to-back scenario, a spot where they’ve struggled in recent easons. The Leafs did have to exert a lot of energy last night against a pesky and fast-paced Blue Jackets squad, and being a top-heavy team certainly doesn’t help in that regard. The Leafs are also quite capped-out at the moment which doesn’t allow coach Sheldon Keefe to rotate players in and out of the lineup. That lack of flexibility will really hamper Toronto going against Seattle’s deep, four-line attack. What they lack in stars, they certainly make up for in depth as all four-lines possess quality talents.

While neither Seattle goalie has been great this year, look for Winnipeg native Chris Driedger to get the start Tuesday evening in Toronto. His 3.33 goals against average is less than stellar, but a road-weary Toronto team might not be able to penetrate the physicality of the Kraken defense.

Jack Campbell: “I appreciate the fans still supporting me and I promise I’ll get out of it and get through it”

— Mike Stephens (@mikeystephens81) March 6, 2022

Kraken vs. Maple Leafs Trends To Know:

• Maple Leafs are 5-1 in their last 6 vs. a team with a losing record.
• Kraken are 7-17 in their last 24 overall.
• Kraken are 0-4 in their last 4 games following a win.
• Maple Leafs are 36-16 in their last 52 vs. Pacific.
• Over is 3-1-1 in Maple Leafs last 5 vs. Pacific.

While it’s tough to back the Kraken given the fact that this is a group merely playing out the rest of their initial season, the Leafs inspire virtually no confidence right now.  Jack Campbell is a mess, as is Toronto’s blue-line without Jake Muzzin. At a massive favourite price, coming off a back-to-back and an iffy performance in Columbus, there’s big value on Seattle making a game of this in a matchup that should see some offense as well. The Kraken boast many local players to Toronto, and many should be charged up to further add to the Leafs’ issues.  Back the Kraken +1.5 on Tuesday night.