Morgan Rielly, Mitchell Marner, and the Toronto Maple Leafs will face off against Artemi Panarin, Cam Atkinson, and the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena in an Eastern Conference showdown. This one gets started at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, December 28 and it will be shown live on Sportsnet Ontario.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Odds
Moneyline and Over/Under (O/U) odds have not yet been posted for this matchup.
Toronto is 25-12 straight up (SU) and has earned 6.3 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 37 regular season matches, 19 of its games have gone over the total, while 15 have gone under and just three have pushed. As the road team this season, the Leafs are 13-6 SU.
Toronto has converted on 23.2 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that places them in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 16th in the league, and the team’s successfully killed off 80.4 percent of all penalties..
Averaging 29.7 saves per game with a .923 save percentage, Frederik Andersen (20-10-1) has been the best option in goal for Toronto this season. If Toronto decides to rest him, however, the team might roll with Garret Sparks (5-3-1), who has a .908 save percentage and 3.00 goals against average this year.
On the other bench, Columbus is 22-15 straight up (SU) and has lost 0.5 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 37 regular season outings, 20 of its games have gone under the total, while 13 have gone over and just three have pushed. It’s 10-9 SU as the home team this season.
The Blue Jackets have converted on just 13.7 percent of their power play chances this year, a figure that’s ranked 29th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 16th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 79.8 percent of all penalties.
Sergei Bobrovsky (26.8 saves per game) has been the top option in goal for the Blue Jackets. Bobrovsky has 16 wins, 11 losses, and one overtime loss to his credit and has recorded a .913 save percentage and 2.68 goals against average this season.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Columbus Blue Jackets Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Blue Jackets, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- Six of Toronto’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 4-2 in those games.
- Penalties and power plays may play a key role tonight. The Maple Leafs are 7-7 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 21-10 when they’re in the box for fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total. The Blue Jackets are 12-8 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 17-11 when they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- The under has hit in four of Columbus’ last five outings.
- Toronto is ranked 25th this season with 11.6 giveaways per game. That figure has trended down lately, however, as it’s averaged 10.3 giveaways over its last 10 games and 10.8 giveaways over its last five.
- Columbus has averaged 4.6 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 7.3 giveaways per game (the 6th-fewest in the league).
