New York Islanders vs. Toronto Maple Leafs: NHL Odds, Prediction
The Toronto Maple Leafs come out of the All-Star break on Wednesday night having won two straight games. They welcome the Islanders for the first time this season, with New York on the second of a back-to-back.
Islanders vs. Maple Leafs Betting Analysis
The Islanders were 2-1 vs. the Maple Leafs last season, winning both at home and being routed 7-1 in Toronto. The latter was Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen’s 100th career NHL victory. Thomas Greiss and Jean-Francois Berube combined to give up seven goals on 41 shots. Berube is no longer with New York.
William Nylander led Toronto with four points against the Islanders last season. Auston Matthews had three goals. Andersen was 1-0-1 with a 3.42 goals-against average and .897 save percentage. Brock Nelson led the Islanders with five points (3 goals, 2 assists) vs. Toronto. New York’s best player, centre John Tavares, was held to one assist. The team captain and 2009 No. 1 overall pick could become the highest-paid player in hockey this summer when he hits free agency. Tavares is a native of Mississauga, Ontario, and obviously the Leafs would have interest in him and could be potentially be a player with $30 million (U.S.) under the projected 2018-19 salary cap. Tavares hasn’t ruled out re-signing with the Islanders. The home team has won the past four in this series. The total has gone over in the past nine meetings in Toronto.
New York Islanders
The Islanders (25-21-5) lost 4-1 at home to Florida on Tuesday as New York couldn’t solve Panthers rookie goaltender Harri Sateri, who got his first career victory with 32 saves. Blueliner Adam Pelech had the lone Islanders goal, his second of the season. Jaroslav Halak started his sixth straight game in net for New York and had 36 saves. He’s not expected to be in there Wednesday but No. 2 Greiss. The German is 10-6-2 with a 3.89 GAA and .886 SV this season. The Isles did see the return of centre Casey Cizikas on Tuesday. He had been out since Jan. 13 with a hand injury. Cizikas has 11 points in 41 games.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto (28-18-5) closed the first half strong with a 3-2 overtime win in Chicago last Wednesday and then a 4-1 victory in Dallas the next night. Nazem Kadri had his second two-goal game of the season in the win over the Stars. He also scored against the Blackhawks and appears to have put a slump behind him. In 21 games played between Nov. 29 and Jan. 23, Kadri had just three total points and one was an empty-net goal. Matthews continues to lead the team in goals (22), points (37) and plus/minus (plus-16). He has found the net in three of the past four games. Defenceman Jake Gardiner has nine assists during a five-game point streak. It will be Andersen in net Wednesday, and he’s 24-14-4 with a 2.68 GAA and .920 save percentage on the season. The Dane is among the NHL leaders in wins and is 3-1-1 in five career games vs. the Islanders with a 3.43 GAA and .885 SV. The Leafs expect the return of defenceman Nikita Zaitsev after missing the past 17 games due to a broken foot.
