Our winning run continued on Sunday as we hit both our NHL play on Detroit and our NBA play on Miami.  We’ll go back to the NHL again tonight as the Atlanta Thrashers (which are actually named after a small brown bird common in the southeast) head north to play the Toronto Maple Leafs.

ATLANTA THRASHERS VS. TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS:

The Atlanta Thrashers are a strange team, and not because they’re named for a small brown bird common in the southeast.  They’re strange because they defy every known rule of hockey logic which dictates that teams are supposed to play their best at home and struggle on the road.  Atlanta is a decidedly mediocre 6-6-2 at Phillips Arena, but when they leave ‘the ATL’ they play like Stanley Cup Champions.  The Thrashers have one of the best road records in the NHL, an impressive 9-2 on enemy ice.

Toronto is considered one of the cradles of Canadian hockey tradition, but the Maple Leafs haven’t done much to uphold that heritage this year.  In fact, they’re a really bad team.  Oddly enough, they also play better on the road than at home though they’re not that great anywhere.  Overall the Maple Leafs are 8-13-7 overall but only 2-7-3 at the Air Canada Centre.

The Thrashers have won five of six and to their credit the Leafs have been playing better of late with four wins in their last six games.  They’re off an embarrassing 7-2 loss to Boston which for a better team might set up a ‘bounce back’ spot.  Atlanta is #2 in the NHL in goals scored (3.27 per game) while Toronto is #18 (2.75).  Neither team are defensive juggarnauts, with Atlanta ranking #14 (2.73) but Toronto is dead last in the NHL in scoring defense at #30 with a 3.57 goals against average.

Making things more attractive, its a ‘pick’em’ game.  We’ll go with the better team–the Thrashers–due to their statistical superiority and solid road play.

PLAY ATLANTA THRASHERS -110 OVER TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS