The Toronto Maple Leafs and the New Jersey Devils will meet for the third and last time in the 2022-23 NHL regular season Tuesday night for what should be a scintillating showdown between Stanley Cup contenders from the Eastern Conference. The Devils won the first meeting, 3-2, while the Maple Leafs came out on top in the second, 2-1. With all that being said, let’s now take a look at our NHL odds series plus our Maple Leafs-Devils prediction for this showdown scheduled at 7:00 PM ET.

Here are the Maple Leafs-Devils  NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel

NHL Odds: Maple Leafs-Devils Odds

Toronto Maple Leafs: +1.5 (-215)

New Jersey Devils: -1.5 (+185)

Over: 6.5 (-107)

Under: 6.5 (-105)

How To Watch Maple Leafs-Devils

TV: ESPN+

Stream: ESPN+

Time: 7:00 PM ET/4:00 PM PT

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Why The Maple Leafs Could Cover The Spread

The Maple Leafs are just looking for a spark to return to their winning ways after an inconsistent showing in a recent four-game road trip. During that stretch, the Maple Leafs went 2-2 with wins alternating with losses. In their last game, the Maple Leafs suffered a 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks over the weekend which came just after a 2-1 win against the Calgary Flames. Overall, though, Toronto is in fine form in the standings with 84 points off a 38-17-8 record.

Toronto is also nursing a number of key injuries, including the newly acquired center Ryan O’Reilly, who has been placed on the long-term injured reserve because of a broken finger. Adding to the headache of the Maple Leafs is John Tavares’ expected absence this Tuesday because of illness. Missing the two forwards is a big blow to the offense of Toronto, but that doesn’t mean the Maple Leafs’ attack is much less deadly. For one, they still have a top line operated by Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, who have 28 and 22 goals so far this season, respectively. Matthews and Marner have also combined for four goals and six assists in the last five games. William Nylander should also see increased chances, with Tavares out, and that could translate to a meaningful night for the 26-year-old center, who is leading the Maple Leadfs with 33 goals to go with 41 assists, so far in the 2022-23 NHL season.

Slowing down New Jersey’s attack is an unenviable task, but the Maple Leafs’ defense showed it’s got what it takes to get that job done, mostly thanks to the incredible job between the pipes by netminder Matt Murray. The 28-year-old Murray started in the previous two meetings with New Jersey this season and stopped 64 of 68 shots in those contests. On the season, Murray has an 11-6-2 record and a 2.80 GA/A and .908 SV%. As a team, Toronto is seventh in the NHL overall as of this writing with only 107 goals allowed.

Why The Devils Could Cover The Spread

After a gut-wrenching 4-3 shootout loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Sin City last Friday, the Devils recovered right away by defeating the Arizona Coyotes in the desert last Sunday via overtime, 5-4. With that win, the Devils went 1-1-1 during a three-game road trip before coming back home for this date with the Maple Leafs. Unlike the Maple Leafs, New Jersey’s prized trade deadline acquisition is healthy – and humming. That would be Timo Meier, who produced right away in his very first game in Devils uniform with a goal in the win over the Coyotes.

That is a great sign for New Jersey which was already running a high-flying attack even before the arrival of Meier. Following the win over Arizona, the Devils extended their streak of at least three regulation goals to five games. In that same span, New Jersey has found the back of the net a total of 26 times and allowed only 16 while going 4-0-1. Included in that stretch was the Devils’ absolute domination of the Philadelphia Flyers in a 7-0 victory at home followed by a 7-5 annihilation of the reigning Stanley Cup champions Colorado Avalanche on the road.

Also, the Devils recorded a fantastic even-strength 57.4 CF% in those games, though, that’s what they have been doing all season long. New Jersey is fourth in the league with a 5-vs-5 53.6 CF%, second in 5-vs-5 scoring chance for rate (55.1%), and third in high-danger scoring chance rate (55.0%). The Devils' ability to dominate possessions isn't new to Toronto, which has lost the shots battle in both meetings with New Jersey this season. Even during the Maple Leafs, 2-1, win last November over New Jersey, it's the Devils who came away with an impressive even-strength 63.53 CF% to go with an even-strength 72.22 HDCF%.

Final Maple Leafs-Devils Prediction & Pick

The Maple Leafs can’t just always get away with close wins and losses versus the Devils because of Matt Murray. Take the Devils to win and cover.

Final Maple Leafs-Devils Prediction & Pick: New Jersey Devils -1.5 (+185)