Toronto Maple Leafs vs Washington Capitals Prediction: Expect a Total Over

Prediction for the NHL Toronto Maple Leafs vs Washington Capitals match, which will take place on January 30. Check the team conditions and choose several betting options.

Toronto is one of the league's strongest teams in player selection, but even that has kept the club out of the first round of the Stanley Cup for nearly two decades. This season, the Maple Leafs are making another attempt to meet that challenge, but it is desirable to finish as high as possible in the regular season. So far, the team has been doing a pretty good job of that with good results. They were left without a point in the last six meetings after losing to Ottawa - 2:6 once lost in overtime, and won four times, moving up to fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

The current regular season has been noticeably more challenging for Washington. The main reason for that is the constant injuries to their leading players. As a result, they haven't played in their optimal lineup this season. John Carlson is still in the sack, and Tom Wilson, who recently returned to form, was sent back to recover. In the last eight meetings, his team has only three wins and five losses, and each time they lost during regular time and were left without a point. Washington now sits just seventh in the Eastern Conference standings.

Toronto and Washington play with variable success in the current regular championship, but the Maple Leafs are in the best condition for the third face-off in the season. The Canadiens have been particularly potent in their hometown games, where they have taken six of their last seven battles behind them. The Capitals, in contrast, are now in another slump, which has left them without a point in five of their previous eight games. In the upcoming confrontation, Sheldon Keefe's wards have more chances for success, as they show a more integrated and balanced hockey, so we need to bet on the victory of Toronto.

An excellent performance characterizes the rivalry between Toronto and Washington in recent years. In the seven previous head-to-head encounters, the opponents have scored 50 goals against each other (7.14 goals per game average). In the upcoming battle, we can also expect the Maple Leafs and the Capitals to play a fun game in which the hosts will attack a lot. Based on this, the optimal option for the prediction seems to be a total of over 6.5 pucks, and it is worth considering a bet on the goal by Alexander Ovechkin.