{"text":"

By Max Meyer

While there’s only three NHL games to start off the new week, our final February matchups are juicy ones. Four teams comfortably in the playoff picture as of now square off on the ice, while another team looks to gain ground in the standings on the road.

The Maple Leafs and Capitals are trending in opposite directions heading into their clash in Washington, D.C. at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

Toronto has come out on top of its last two, including a video game-esque 10-7 triumph over the Red Wings. The Maple Leafs possess +900 odds to bring home the Stanley Cup at Caesars Sportsbook, only behind the Avalanche (+400), Panthers (+750) and Lightning (+750).

On the other side, Washington has only mustered one goal in each defeat to the Flyers and Rangers. Their championship odds now reside at 30/1, tied with the Oilers and Blues for 12th-lowest.

This battle opened as a pick’em, with each team priced at -110. Now the Maple Leafs are all the way up to -135, whereas the Capitals serving as a +115 home underdog. So far, the majority of Caesars Sportsbook bettors are rolling with the road favorite here. The Maple Leafs have collected 60% of the total number of tickets and 74% of the total dollars wagered.  

The tightest division in hockey is the Pacific Division, where the first-place Flames and seventh-place Sharks are separated by a mere 14 points. The sixth-place Canucks are just three points away from the fourth spot, and will look to win a fourth straight in New Jersey at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m.

Yet it’s the Devils, who sit in the basement in the Metropolitan Division standings, who are favored. New Jersey is displayed at -130 after opening at -125, and Vancouver is at +110. The majority of the tickets and dollars are on opposing sides here, with the Canucks landing 59% of the total number of tickets. Thanks to a $107,000 wager on Devils -115, though, New Jersey has drawn 90% of the total dollars wagered.

The nightcap is a battle between the Bruins and Kings at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT in Los Angeles. One foe’s winning streak will come to an end tonight, as the Kings enter having won five in a row and the Bruins are one behind at four. Even on hot streaks and with solid playoff position, both teams have longshot odds to hoist Lord Stanley with the Bruins at 22/1 and the Kings at 50/1.

The Bruins opened as -120 road favorites, got to as high as -140 and are back down to -125 over the Kings (+105). Boston has received the majority of the moneyline action with 57% for both total number of tickets and total dollars wagered. The largest bet for this showdown, however, is on Kings puck line, as a Nevada bettor staked $185,000 on Kings +1.5 (-210).

Check out Caesars Sportsbook’s latest moneyline trends for every NHL game tonight below.