Pierre-Luc Dubois, Alexander Wennberg, and the Columbus Blue Jackets will do battle against Mitchell Marner, Morgan Rielly, and the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena in an Eastern Conference showdown. Sportsnet will broadcast the action, which gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, October 21.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Toronto Maple Leafs Odds
The Maple Leafs (-190) are tabbed as the favorites over the Blue Jackets (+165), and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals (-120 money on the over, +100 on the under). After they originally opened at -115 over, -105 under, those lines have shifted.
Toronto is 5-4 straight up (SU) and has yet to earn moneyline bettors any units (positive or negative) this season. That winning percentage, ranked 3rd in the Atlantic Division in this young season, is a regression from the 46-36 record that the team posted during the 2018-19 season campaign. Through nine regular season outings, six of its games have gone over the total, while two have gone under and just one has pushed. The team is 3-3 SU at home this year.
The Maple Leafs have successfully scored on 26.9 percent of their power play opportunities thus far. That’s a noticeable improvement from last year, when they were ranked 11th in the league by scoring on 20.9 percent of their extra-man advantages. Their penalty kill has improved slightly year-over-year as they’ve gone from successfully defending 78.5 percent of opponents’ power plays (ranked 25th overall last season) to 79.3 percent this year.
Boasting a .902 save percentage and 27.7 saves per game, Frederik Andersen (5-2) has been the most dependable goalkeeper for Toronto this year. If head coach Mike Babcock chooses to give him a breather, however, Toronto might go with the winless Michael Hutchinson (0-3-3 record, .886 save percentage, 3.98 goals against average).
Columbus has lost 1.8 units for bettors taking the moneyline thus far and is currently 3-5 straight up (SU). A total of six of its outings have gone under the total, while two have gone over and none have pushed. The Blue Jackets are 1-2 SU as a road team this season.
The Jackets have scored on 13.0 percent of their power play chances this year after converting on 16.7 percent of their extra-man opportunities last season (a percentage that was ranked just 25th in league-wide). The team’s gone from killing off 84.9 percent of opponent power plays (ranked second overall last season) to 73.9 percent this year.
Joonas Korpisalo (25.3 saves per game) has been the primary choice in the net for Columbus. Korpisalo has three wins, three losses, and one overtime loss to his credit, and has registered a .905 save percentage and 2.66 goals against average this year.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Free Picks
NHL Pick: SU Winner – Maple Leafs, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- After losing both of their shootouts last year, the Maple Leafs are off to a 0-1 start in shootouts this season. The Blue Jackets were 2-1 in shootouts last year and has yet to participate in one this time around.
- For both of these clubs, the game went over the total in four of their past five outings.
- Columbus has yet to win a game by two more more goals this season.
- Columbus skaters notched 23.0 hits per game last season, while the Leafs forced 18.8 hits per matchup.
