Two teams that are firmly in playoff contention, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers face off at the BB&T Center. This divisional matchup gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, January 12 and it’s being shown live on Sportsnet.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Florida Panthers Odds
Toronto (-120) is the favorite over Florida (+100) and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 7 goals. The odds for betting the total stand at -130 money on the over and +110 on the under.
Toronto is 24-21 straight up (SU) and has lost 5.2 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 45 regular season matches, 25 of its games have gone over the total, while 18 have gone under and just two have pushed. As the road team this season, the Leafs are 13-10 SU.
Toronto has converted on 23.4 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 25th out of 31 teams, and it’s successfully killed off only 76.2 percent of its penalties.
For the team as a whole, Toronto has been sent to the penalty box just 3.2 times per game this season, 2.8 per game over its past five games total, and 2.8 per game over its last five road outings. The team’s been forced to defend opponent power plays just 7.7 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
With a .914 save percentage and 28.6 saves per game, Frederik Andersen (21-14-5) has been the primary option in goal for Toronto this season. If head coach Sheldon Keefe chooses to rest him, however, the team may roll with Michael Hutchinson (3-8-1 record, .892 save percentage, 3.68 goals against average).
Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner will both look to continue their strong seasons for the visiting Maple Leafs. Matthews has 54 points via 31 goals and 23 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 17 different games. Marner has 11 goals and 31 assists to his creditand has logged a point in 25 games.
On the other side of the rink, Florida is 23-21 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 0.1 units this year. 26 of its outings have gone over the total, while 15 have gone under and just three have pushed. This season, the team is 14-10 SU as the home team.
Florida has converted on 22.5 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 21st overall, and it’s successfully killed off 78.4 percent of all opponent power plays.
Florida players have been whistled for penalties only 3.2 times per game this season, 3.4 per game over their past five games total, and 3.2 per game over their last five home outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 8.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Sergei Bobrovsky has denied 26.3 shots per game as the primary netminder in the crease for Florida. Bobrovsky has 17 wins, 17 losses, and four OT losses to his credit and has maintained a pedestrian 3.29 goals against average and a poor .896 save percentage this year.
The Panthers will be led on offense by Jonathan Huberdeau (17 goals, 42 assists).
Toronto Maple Leafs at Florida Panthers Betting Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Maple Leafs, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- For both of these teams, the over has hit in three of their past five matches.
- This game features two teams that have pounded opponents’ goalies with shots. Toronto has registered the league’s eighth-most shots on goal (33.3) and Florida has attempted the fifth-most (33.7).
- The Panthers are 5-3 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Maple Leafs are 10-9 SU when they serve more minutes than their opponent.
- Florida is 3-3 in games decided by a shootout this season while Toronto is 1-3 in shootouts.
- One of the best at disrupting opposing teams, Florida is ranked 4th overall with 9.0 takeaways per game. That figure’s trended lower recently, however, as the team has managed 8.1 takeaways over its last 10 games and 7.6 takeaways over its last five.
- Toronto is ranked 11th in the NHL with 8.1 takeaways per game. That figure has trended upward lately, as it has averaged 11.1 takeaways over its last 10 games and 10.4 takeaways over its last five.
