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The Toronto Maple Leafs head to New Jersey to take on the New Jersey Devils Thursday night. Below we will continue our NHL odds series with a Maple Leafs-Devils prediction and pick. We will also let you know how to watch the game.
Here are the Maple Leafs-Devils NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Maple Leafs-Devils Odds
Toronto Maple Leafs: +1.5 (-205)
Moneyline: +116
New Jersey Devils: -1.5 (+168)
Moneyline: -140
Over: 6.5 (-118)
Under: 6.5 (-104)
How To Watch Maple Leafs vs. Devils
Time: 7:00 PM ET/4:00 PM PT
TV: TSN4, SportsNet Ontario, MSG Network
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why the Maple Leafs Could Cover the Spread/Win
Toronto has a high-powered offense led by Auston Matthews. Matthews led the entire NHL in goals last season, and he is looking to do much of the same in 2024. He is accompanied by William Nylander who netted 40 goals a season ago. These two are going to do a lot of damage this season. Along with that, the Maple Leafs have some capable players along all their lines. They were second in the NHL in goals per game last season, and I am not expecting that to change this season.
Toronto is a team that will not panic. They have a lot of the same players from last season, and that was a team that had the seventh-highest win percentage when they allow the first goal of the game. The Maple Leafs trust their skaters, and they trust their playmakers in the offensive zone. With Matthews, Nylander, John Taveras, and Mitch Marner, we should see much of the same this season when it comes to scoring.
The Maple Leafs are also a team that makes the most of their shot attempts. Last season, Toronto was 20-11-1 when they were outshot by their opponent. The Maple Leafs do not need to put a whole lot of pucks on net to score. They take their opportunities when they come, and they make the most of them. If they can do more of that to begin this season, Toronto will be in good shape.
Why the Devils Could Cover the Spread/Win
New Jersey opened up the season against the Buffalo Sabres in the Czech Republic. They were able to win both games against Buffalo. The best part of their game was their play in the defensive zone. They allowed just one goal in each game, and they had a total of 40 blocked shots. The Devils put their body in front of the puck, and they make it as easy as possible on the goaltender. It will not be as easy against the Maple Leafs, but they have to do more of the same if they want to win.
Paul Cotter played really well for the Devils in the two games. He scored twice, and assisted on one more goal. He had a plus/minus of three, which led the team. Nico Hischier is also a player to watch. Against Buffalo, he won 62.7 percent of his faceoffs. He was 7-1 on faceoffs when the Devils were shorthanded, and 19-7 in the defensive zone, which are two very important times to win faceoffs. If the Devils can get more good play out of Cotter, and Hischier can be dominant on faceoffs, New Jersey should win.
Jake Allen is projected to start in net for the Devils for this game. In his one start this season, Allen saved 17 of the 18 shots taken. That is not a lot of shots against, and I would definitely expect more from the Maple Leafs. However, Allen saving 17 of 18 is a very good sign. Allen needs to be at his best in this game, but as mentioned, he has very good defensemen to help him out.
Final Maple Leafs-Devils Prediction & Pick
This should be a pretty good game. Toronto does have a game Wednesday night, but since it is so early in the season, I do not think the back-to-back will make too much of an impact. Especially because it is not a long flight to New Jersey. Still, I like the Devils to prevail at home.
Final Maple Leafs-Devils Prediction & Pick: Devils ML (-140)
