The Toronto Maple Leafs will travel south to Florida tonight to take on the Panthers in this heavyweight bout. The Atlantic Division rivals have met just once this season where the Maple Leafs came out on top. Both of these teams have been on fire lately, both going 8-2 in their last 10 games played. Both of these teams will be eyeing the playoffs as well, as Florida has already clinched the top spot in the East but Toronto is right on their heels. It’s time to continue our  NHL odds series with a Maple Leafs-Panthers prediction and pick.

Here are the Maple Leafs-Panthers NHL Odds, Courtesy of FanDuel

NHL Odds: Maple Leafs-Panthers Odds

Toronto Maple Leafs: +1.5 (-170) (+136 ML)

Florida Panthers: -1.5 (+140) (-164 ML)

Over: 7 (-115)

Under: 7 (-105)

Why The Maple Leafs Can Cover The Spread/Win

The Toronto Maple Leafs are coming into this game on the tail end of a back-to-back where they defeated the Lightning last night 6-2, including a hat trick from superstar phenom, Auston Matthews. Overall, the Leafs have been very good on offense all season, scoring 3.76 goals per game and a league-leading power-play unit which is at a 29.8% success rate. Defensively, the Leafs are allowing 3.03 goals per game, but if they continue to outscore their opponents, it shouldn't become an issue. Jack Campbell started in net for the Leafs last night, so we can expect to see backup Erik Kallgren start between the pipes tonight. The youngster is averaging a .906 save percentage while allowing 2.71 goals against per game. He'll need to be on his A-game tonight against this always dangerous Panthers team.

Why The Panthers Can Cover The Spread/Win

The Florida Panthers have an astoundingly talented roster this year, especially with the pickup of Claude Giroux over the deadline. With that said, the leading team in the East is also leading the league in scoring, with an incredible 4.12 goals per game. Losing defenseman Aaron Ekblad for the season is tough on their defense, but still allowing roughly three goals against per game. Since backup Spencer Knight started on Sunday against Buffalo, it's safe to assume that Sergei Bobrovsky will defend the home crease tonight. On the season, he's putting up a .914 save percentage while allowing 2.64 goals against per game. He'll have a true playoff team to face off with tonight in the Leafs.

Final Maple Leafs-Panthers Prediction & Pick

Both of these teams are at the top of the line right now, both extraordinary to watch. I'm excited to see what these teams can do in the playoffs, where this could easily become the Eastern Conference Final championship. With that said, it's going to be a high-scoring game, with a lot of offense out of the gate, but I like the goaltending for the Panthers a lot better in this matchup. It's not that I don't trust Kallgren for the Leafs, he's just young and inexperienced, especially against a team like the Panthers. I just find it hard to bet against the Panthers at home, in any scenario. Because of that, I'm taking their Moneyline.

Final Maple Leafs-Panthers Prediction and Pick: Panthers ML (-164)