Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Florida Panthers Prediction, NHL Odds
The Toronto Maple Leafs look to build off their biggest win of the season when they head south to face the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night in NHL betting action at Amerant Bank Arena.
The Maple Leafs rediscovered their scoring touch in Saturday’s 7-2 victory in Pittsburgh and arrive in Florida aiming to record consecutive wins for the first time in 12 games since early November.
The Panthers have fallen to defeat in the first two dates of their current seven-game homestand, capped by Friday’s 5-3 loss to Calgary, and have now lost three straight at home, all by multi-goal margins.
The Maple Leafs get set to hit the ice as +120 underdogs on Tuesday’s NHL odds. The Panthers are perched as -145 favourites, and the total is listed at 6.5.
Maple Leafs vs. Panthers NHL Betting Odds
The Panthers took three of four from the Maple Leafs last season prior to eliminating Toronto in seven games in a hard-fought second-round playoff matchup.
Overall, Florida has topped the Leafs in four of five regular season tilts, limiting Toronto shooters to just nine total goals, but have split their pat two home dates with the Buds, each of which ending in a 3-2 score.
The total has not surpassed 5.0 in their past three meetings, fuelling a 3-0 run for the UNDER, which has gone 7-3 in their past 10 matchups.
The Leafs got a much-needed win over the Penguins on Saturday, but have struggled on the road, going just 2-2 so far on their current six-game junket, and lead only Buffalo with just three total road wins this season.
However, Toronto has tightened up considerably on defence since giving up 22 total goals during a brutal five-game slide, allowing just seven total goals over their past three games and just 2.86 goals per game over their past seven.
The Panthers have been outscored by a wide 15-8 margin during their current 0-3-0 run at home, and have tallied wins in consecutive games played at home just once since opening the campaign with three straight victories.
The Florida offence has run hot and cold, scoring two or fewer goals three times over their past eight games while also exploding for eight goals twice over that stretch, both against overmatched opponents.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Auston Matthews’ return from injury has provided the Leafs with a spark. Toronto’s captain led the attack in Saturday’s win with a goal and an assist and has averaged a point per game in three games since his return. However, Matthews has found the mark in just three of seven road appearances this season, and mustered just a single point in three regular season appearances versus Florida last season.
After missing Friday’s 4-3 loss in Washington due to illness, William Nylander returned to the lineup on Saturday, and contributed his team-leading 21st assist of the season. Nylander enjoyed an outstanding November, racking up eight goals and 17 points and has recorded at least one point in 19 of his 21 game appearances this season, and is pegged as a short -235 bet on the NHL player props to record at least a point on Tuesday night.
Florida Panthers
After losing three of four overall, the Panthers now find themselves knotted with Toronto at the bottom of the Atlantic Division standings with 25 points through 24 games including a middling 8-5-1 mark on home ice.
The club has certainly missed the scoring punch of injured stars Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov, but have seen veteran Brad Marchand pick up the slack. The Leafs’ nemesis has scored in each of the past two games to extend his current points streak to four games, and leads the club in scoring by a wide margin with 15 goals and 27 points.
Sam Bennett has also started to heat up after a slow start, recording two goals and three helps during a four-game points streak and has racked up two goals and six points over his past five home appearances.
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