The Toronto Maple Leafs (33-23-8, 74 points) are in third place in the Atlantic Division right now, 16 points behind Boston and 11 points behind Tampa Bay. They have a young, fast roster led by the talented Auston Matthews, but they have played inconsistently, even in the wake of the firing of coach Mike Babcock. They surprised many with a win over Tampa Bay in their last game, and now they finish their swing through the Sunshine State with a Thursday night tilt in Miami against the Florida Panthers. The Panthers (33-24-6, 72 points) are right on the Leafs’ heels, two points back but five points out of the second wild card in the Eastern Conference, so if the season ended today, Toronto would be in the postseason while the Panthers would be headed to the golf course. Can the Panthers pick up some needed points, or will the Leafs pull off another win down in sunny Florida? Don’t miss our sports betting preview of this Atlantic Division showdown. Let’s see how the NHL odds will be for the Maple Leafs vs Panthers.
Maple Leafs vs Panthers 2020 NHL Game Preview & Betting Odds
- When: Thursday, February 27, 2020, 7:00 pm ET
- Where: BB&T Center, Sunrise, FL
- TV: No National Broadcast
- Radio: CJCL 1050 AM Toronto / WQAM 560 AM Miami
- Live Stream: fuboTV
- NHL Odds: Toronto -110 / O/U 7
Why should you bet on Toronto?
The mercurial Maple Leafs have split their last four games. They split a home-and-home series with the Pittsburgh Penguins, losing 5-2 down in Pennsylvania before coming home to deliver a 4-0 shellacking. Then they hosted Carolina, who won 6-3 in the bizarre spectacle that involved the Hurricanes using emergency backup goaltender David Ayres for over a third of the hockey game. Toronto bounced back in a big way, though, edging Tampa Bay on the road, 4-3, on Tuesday.
In that win, captain John Tavares had a pair of goals, and William Nylander had his 28th goal of the season. Jake Muzzin added a goal as well, but he could be out after having a puck go off his right hand in the second period and missing all of the third. The Maple Leafs scored twice on the power play while holding Tampa Bay to just one shot on net over three power play chances. This was an example of how the Maple Leafs can win, using speed and pressure up front and discipline on the back end. But can they do it two games in a row?
Why should you put your money on Florida?
The Panthers went 3-2 on their West Coast road swing, beating San Jose and Anaheim by a combined 9-4 score. Then they lost in Los Angeles and Vegas, giving up 10 combined goals in the process. They found their defense in the trip finale, though, beating Arizona, 2-1 on Tuesday. Now they return home after that trip with a chance to move into a tie with the Leafs in the Atlantic.
In that win over Arizona, Sergei Bobrovsky had 36 saves and got a goal from Mike Hoffman for the third game in a row. The Panthers have still seen their offense slide since the All-Star break. They led the league in scoring in the early months, but they have had a drought since the break and are now eleventh in scoring in the Eastern Conference. The Panthers will need offense against the Maple Leafs — as well as that tighter defense they showed against the Coyotes.
Maple Leafs vs Panthers Final Score Prediction
Sergei Bobrovsky can be a game-changer in net and is probably the better of the two goalies in Thursday’s matchup. However, the struggles that Florida has had on offense will make it a challenge against a Leafs team that can score. I like Toronto to pick up this road win, 3-2.
