The Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs meet Monday in the NHL playoffs Game 1 at the Scotiabank Arena. Here’s a Maple Leafs vs Panthers Prediction. This article will include a Maple Leafs vs Panthers Pick.
Florida Panthers Betting Preview
The Florida Panthers are coming off a five-game series with the Lightning and are in the second round for a fourth straight season. The Panthers have won three straight road games.
The Florida Panthers are averaging 3.8 goals per game and are scoring 25 percent of their power-play opportunities. Matthew Tkachuk leads Florida with 3 goals, Sam Reinhart has 4 assists, and Sam Bennett has 17 shots on goal. Defensively, the Florida Panthers are allowing 2.4 goals per game and are killing 88.9 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Sergei Bobrovsky has allowed 11 goals on 111 shots faced.
Toronto Maple Leafs Betting Preview
The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Senators in six games and are in the second round of the playoffs for the first time since the 2013-14 season. The Maple Leafs have won 17 of their last 22 games.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are averaging 3.17 goals per game and are scoring 35.3 percent of their power-play opportunities. John Tavares leads Toronto with 3 goals, Mitch Marner has 7 assists, and Auston Matthews has 21 shots on goal. Defensively, the Toronto Maple Leafs are allowing 2.67 goals per game and are killing 80 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Anthony Stolarz has allowed 14 goals on 142 shots faced.
Why the Toronto Maple Leafs will win
- The Maple Leafs have won five of their last six games as home underdogs against opponents on a winning streak.
- The Panthers have lost seven of their last 10 games as road favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in each of the last nine games between the Panthers and Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.
- The Panthers have failed to cover the puck line in seven of their last eight games as road favorites.
- The Panthers have lost the third period in each of their last four games as road favorites when trailing after the second period.
Why the Florida Panthers will win
- The Panthers have won each of their last four night games against Eastern Conference opponents.
- The road team has covered the puck line in each of the Maple Leafs’ last five games.
- The Maple Leafs have failed to cover the puck line in four of their last five games at Scotiabank Arena following a road win.
- The Maple Leafs have lost the third period in four of their last five games as underdogs against Eastern Conference opponents at Scotiabank Arena when leading after the second period.
Toronto Maple Leafs Player Prop Facts
- Max Pacioretty has recorded a point in nine of his last 10 home appearances against the Panthers.
- Auston Matthews has scored at least one goal in four of his last five appearances with the Maple Leafs as home underdogs against Eastern Conference opponents.
- Mitch Marner has recorded at least one assist in each of the Maple Leafs’ last five games as underdogs against Eastern Conference opponents.
- William Nylander ranks 2nd in the league for Goals (45) this season.
Florida Panthers Player Prop Facts
- Sam Bennett has scored at least one goal in each of his last four appearances with the Panthers as favorites against the Maple Leafs.
- Matthew Tkachuk has recorded at least one assist in eight of his last nine appearances with the Panthers as road favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.
- Matthew Tkachuk has recorded at least one point in each of his last nine appearances with the Panthers as road favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.
- Aleksander Barkov ranks T1st in the Eastern Conference for shootout goals (4) this season.
Maple Leafs vs Panthers Injury Report
The Maple Leafs will continue to be without Jani Hakanpaa.
The Panthers don’t have any players listed on their injury report.
Maple Leafs vs Panthers Prediction
You can make a case for the Maple Leafs and the plus money, as they’ve been fantastic over the last two months, which includes wins in 17 of their last 22 games. However, as I’ve said before, the Panthers are still the team to beat in the East until proven otherwise. The only question entering the postseason with the Panthers is if they’d be able to click again given their injuries finishing the regular season.
The Panthers looked frightening and dominated the Lightning in five games, a series many had them losing. The Panthers have won six of the last nine games against the Maple Leafs, and Toronto still has some playoff demons to overcome. I’ll side with the Panthers and the cheap price in game 1.