Subscribe
Follow Us
The Toronto Maple Leafs hit the road for the first time as they face the Florida Panthers. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Maple Leafs-Panthers prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Maple Leafs enter the game off of their first loss of the season. After scoring 11 goals in the first two games, beating the Canadiens 6-5 and Wild 7-4, they struggled against the Blackhawks. The two teams were scoreless in the first period, but MacKenzie Entwistle scored for the Blackhawks to make it a 1-0 lead in the second. John Tavares put his first one in the back of the net this year to tie it, but Corey Perry would answer back for the Blackhawks. After a power play goal, and then an empty net goal in the third, the Blackhawks would win 4-1.
Meanwhile, the Panthers are coming home for the first time this year, and are coming off their first win of the year. They lost to the Wild and the Jets to open the season but beat New Jersey last time out. Sam Reinhart scored twice in the game, including just 3:54 into the game, as the Panthers built a 4-0 lead. Still, the Devils would score three times, including twice on the power play, to make it close in the third, but the Panthers would hold on to win 4-3.
Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Maple Leafs vs. Panthers Odds
Toronto Maple Leafs: -140
Florida Panthers: +116
Over: 6.5 (-150)
Under: 6.5 (+122)
How to Watch Maple Leafs vs. Panthers
Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT
TV: NHLPP/ESPN+
Stream: FuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Maple Leafs Will Win
The Maples Leafs are two lines deep. William Nylander, Auston Matthews, and John Tavares anchor the Maple Leafs offensive attack. Nylander has six points this year with three goals and three assists. Nylander also has a goal and assists on the power play. Auston Matthews has scored six times this year, with hat tricks in each of his first two games, but he was held scoreless last time out. Tavares scored his first goal of the season last time out and also has five assists this year. Matthews is the only man on the top line, with Tavares and Nylander sitting on the second line.
Meanwhile, the blue line has been solid in support of the offensive attack. John Klingberg and Morgan Riley, who are on different defensive pairings, both have three assists this year. They both also have an assist on the power play. Overall, Toronto has been great on the power play this year. They have scored four goals on just ten attempts on the power play this year. They scored twice on the power play in each of the first two games this year but did not against the Blackhawks. Meanwhile, on the penalty kill, they have killed seven of nine men down chances this year.
Toronto has also been good at outshooting their opponents. They have shot 33 or more times in every game this year. Meanwhile, the opponents have been held with 32 shots or below in every instance.
Ilya Samsonov will be in goal this year for the Maple Leafs in this one. He has not been great this year, saving just 47 of 56 shots, good for a .839 save percentage. He had a 4.42 goals-against average this year. While he has struggled in both games this year, he is 2-0 on the season.
Why The Panthers Will Win
One of the newest members of the Florida Panthers, Evan Rodrigues, has been great this year for the Panthers. In his first three games, he has scored two goals and already has three assists. Sam Reinhart and Aleksander Barkov join him on the top line. Reinhart has scored three times this year already, with two of them on the power play. Meanwhile, Barkov has three assists this year with a plus-two rating.
The second line is led by the combination of Matthew Tkachuk and Cater Verhaeghe. Tkachuk already has four assists on the season but has yet to score a goal. He leads the team in shots with 16 this season and should be good for one soon. Verhaeghe is sitting with two goals this year, on just six shots on the season.
The Panthers have been getting a good amount of shots off this year, getting 30 or more shots off in every game this year. Still, even though they had 41 shots in the first game and 33 in the second, they lost both of them. Part of the issue has been the power play, as they have managed to score just twice on 14 chances this year. Another issue has been the penalty kill, as they have allowed five goals on 15 chances. The third has been a combination of goaltending and too many shots allowed. They have allowed 71 shots in the last two games, and while they allowed just 21 in the first game, they still lost.
Sergi Bobrovsky is expected to be in goal tonight for the Panthers. He is 1-2 on the year with a 3.64 goals-against average and a .888 save percentage. The last game was his best of the season, with a .912 save percentage as he let in just three of 34 shots in the game. Last year, he had a .901 save percentage with a 3.07 goals-against average. Bobrovsky was solid last time out but needs to show consistency to come away with a win in this one.
Final Maple Leafs-Panthers Prediction & Pick
Toronto creates plenty of scoring chances. Toronto is fourth in the NHL in expected goals scored, while playing one less game than the three teams in front of them. They lead the NHL in expected goals per 6-0 minutes of gameplay this year as well. While Florida is solid, they do not have the same level of offense. Further, the Maple Leafs will be able to limit the offensive production of the Florida Panthers. Expect Ilya Samsonov to have a solid game and Toronto to score early and often, getting the win in this one.
Final Maple Leafs-Panthers Prediction & Pick: Toronto Maple Leafs ML (-140)
