Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Florida Panthers Game 4 Prediction, NHL Playoff Odds
It looked like Toronto and Florida were on the verge of double overtime in Game 3 on Friday before Brad Marchand once again stuck a dagger into the hearts of Leafs fans to secure a 5-4 win for the Panthers. Florida will now look to even the series in Game 4 on Sunday, while the Maple Leafs are attempting to take a 3-1 series stranglehold back to Toronto.
The Panthers are -190 favourites to win Game 4 on the NHL odds, with the total pegged at 6.0.
Maple Leafs vs. Panthers NHL Betting Odds
Florida’s Game 3 victory isn’t shocking when you consider the Cats have won 16 of their last 20 home dates. That’s not ideal for a Leafs team that has lost five straight games played in Sunrise.
The updated series line has Toronto sitting as a -125 favourite to win and advance on the NHL futures board, while Florida is a +105 underdog. That hasn’t translated to the favoured exact series result, which is a Panthers win in seven games at +280. The biggest long shot is a Leafs win in six games at +425.
If you’re looking further ahead, both teams are listed at +600 to win the Stanley Cup, which is smack in the middle of the remaining eight playoff teams. That’s a lot more faith than oddsmakers had for Toronto entering the playoffs as the Leafs were +1200 to win the Cup ahead of their first round series against Ottawa. Florida entered the playoffs as +750 co-favourites with Colorado to win the Cup.
Toronto Maple Leafs
John Tavares had two goals in Game 3, while Matthew Knies and Morgan Rielly also found the back of the net. Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews and William Nylander all contributed two assists each, while Joseph Woll allowed five goals on 37 shots. Toronto can look to the second period to see where the game broke down as they were outscored 3-1 and outshot 9-4.
Although Matthews is third in playoff scoring for the Leafs with 10 points, he only has two goals, which simply isn’t good enough for a player who scored 69 goals in the regular season two years ago. Matthews has failed to light the lamp through three games of this series and his career playoff scoring numbers pale in comparison to what he has done in the regular season. Bottom line, Toronto needs more from Big Papi.
Florida Panthers
Brad Marchand scored his biggest goal in a Panthers uniform in overtime of Game 3, while Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe and Jonah Gadjovich each tickled the twine in regulation. Florida benefitted from a very aggressive adjustment between Games 2 and 3 as they swapped out the entire fourth line, with Gadjovich, Tomas Nosek and A.J. Greer replacing Mackie Samoskevich, Nico Sturm and Jesper Boqvist.
You have to wonder if back-to-back runs to the Stanley Cup Final is starting to wear on 36-year-old Sergei Bobrovsky in net. Bobrovsky gave up five goals in Game 1 of this series and four each in Games 2 and 3 for an .840 save percentage against Toronto. He’s finished with a sub-.900 SV in four straight games and his .875 SV through eight games this postseason is the sixth-worst mark among goalies who gave played at least 60 minutes.
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