Sean Maloney
The Toronto Maple Leafs will be aiming to tighten their grasp on the top of the Atlantic Division standings when they play host to the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday as -130 home favorites at Bovada. The Wednesday night schedule also features a clash of Metropolitan Division rivals, as the New York Rangers take on the visiting New York Rangers as short -185 chalk.
MyTopSportsbooks takes a look at all the odds and trends ahead of Wednesday’s key NHL matchups. Sports bettors getting in on NHL betting action for the first time should refer to our online tools and guides to learn all they need to know about the best NHL hockey betting sites.
| NHL Odds |  |
| Colorado Avalanche | +115 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | -135 |
| Philadelphia Flyers | +160 |
| New York Rangers | -185 |
Colorado Avalanche vs Toronto Maple Leafs
Wednesday December 1, 7:00pm ET
Scotiabank Arena
Team Records
Avalanche: 11-6-1, 23 points (4th place, Central Division)
Maple Leafs: 16-6-1, 33 points (1st place, Atlantic Division)
Avalanche vs Maple Leafs Betting Trends
Wednesday night’s contest marks the first meeting between these two clubs since December 2019. The Avalanche halted a two-game head-to-head losing streak with a 3-1 road victory in that clash. However, that victory also marked the Avs’ fourth straight victory at Scotiabank Arena, and their fifth win in eight overall meetings with Toronto since December 2015. The low scoring in their most recent meeting also bucks a trend. These two teams combined to score six or more goals in nine of their previous 10 clashes, fueling a steady 8-1-1 run for the OVER in totals betting.
Avalanche News & Notes
The big news for the Avalanche is the highly anticipated return of Nathan MacKinnon, who has not seen action since November 6 due to a lower body injury. MacKinnon was enjoying a steady start to the season, picking up one goal and nine assists in eight outings before getting sidelined.
Nathan MacKinnon is in a normal jersey for practice. Jared Bednar said the goal is for him to play Wednesday in Toronto. #Avs pic.twitter.com/92qUjAIz2M
— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) November 29, 2021
The 26-year-old has also scored a goal in each of his past two appearances against the Leafs, snapping a three-game drought when facing Toronto. Mackinnon’s return should give a big boost to the Avalanche, who continue to lead the way as favorites on the 2022 Stanley Cup Futures Odds.
Maple Leafs News & Notes
The Maple Leafs return to action as arguably the hottest team in the NHL after claiming victory in 14 of their past 16 outings. The club was simply dominant during this past week’s four-game road trip, during which they outscored opponents by a wide 18-4 margin while becoming the first team in four decades to post wins by three or more goals in each of the dates on a four-game road trip.
Campbell/Woll pairing = 🐐 pic.twitter.com/C1A0IYToud
— Leafs Updates (16-6-1) (@UpdateLeafs) November 28, 2021
While Toronto’s offensive resurgence is welcome, the dominance of goaltenders Jack Campbell and Joseph Woll cannot be overlooked. The duo have surrendered just 1.50 goals per game over the team’s past 10 contests, and surrendered more than two goals just once over the past eight home contests.
Best Bet: Maple Leafs (-135) at Bovada
Philadelphia Flyers vs New York Rangers
Wednesday December 1, 7:03pm ET
Madison Square Garden
Team Records
Flyers: 8-8-4, 20 points (7th place, Metropolitan Division)
Rangers: 13-4-3, 29 points (3rd place, Metropolitan Division)
Flyers vs Rangers Betting Trends
Wednesday night’s clash marks the first of four meetings this season between these divisional rivals. Each team posted four wins in eight overall matchups last season, with five of those contests getting settled by a single goal. However, it is Philadelphia that has enjoyed a steady run of historical success when battling the Rangers, posting wins in 13 of 18 meetings since January 2018, including wins in six of eight visits to the Big Apple. While these clubs combined to score an average of over eight goals per game through their first five dates last season, offensive production has taken a severe dip over their past three, which have featured just 13 total goals, fueling a 3-0 run for the UNDER in totals betting.
Flyers News & Notes
The Flyers will be hoping a trip to New York will be just what they need to put the brakes on a six-game losing streak, which represents the second longest current slide in the league. The club has allowed 4.50 goals per game over that stretch, and have also come up short in four straight road contests.
Chuck Fletcher on this week for the Flyers and what’s to come: “This is a massive week to get our house in order. And to push back because it’s 5 in 7 next week. The games are coming fast and furious, and we’re going to have to be a lot better.” https://t.co/nmIQB84rSC
— Adam Kimelman (@NHLAdamK) November 30, 2021
Injuries remain a huge problem for the Flyers, who are pegged as lengthy +160 underdogs on Wednesday night. Among key personnel current sidelined are Derrick Brossard and Ryan Ellis. However, confidence is high that Kevin Hayes is set to return after being limited to just two outings this season due to injury.
Rangers News & Notes
While the Flyers fade, the Rangers continue to soar. Fresh off their seventh win in eight outings, a 5-2 win in Boston on Friday, New York returns home just four points shy of the division lead. The Rangers have been particularly dominant on home ice, averaging four goals per game while winning five straight.
On #NYR Chris Kreider, the piano-playing, Russian-speaking, goal-scoring machine and what makes him tick in his 10th pro seasonhttps://t.co/gC3MroyB89
— Arthur Staple (@StapeAthletic) November 29, 2021
Chris Kreider has led the Rangers attack, accounting for over 25% of the team’s total offensive production while scoring 15 times over his first 20 appearances. However, things have not gone so well for Mika Zibanejad, who takes a nine-game goal scoring drought into Wednesday’s action.
Best Bet: Rangers -1.5 (+135) at Bovada
