Florida Panthers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Game 2 Prediction, Odds
Monday’s Game 1 between the Leafs and Panthers lived up to they hype, with Toronto skating away with a 5-4 win. Will Florida punch back in Game 2 on Wednesday?
The Panthers opened as -140 favourites to win on the NHL odds, with the total pegged at 5.5.
Panthers vs. Maple Leafs NHL Betting Odds
If Game 1 is any indication, Toronto and Florida should be prepared for a long series. The teams have alternated wins over the last four head-to-heads, with three of those games decided by a single goal.
The Leafs remain one of the hottest home teams in the league as they look for a 2-0 series lead. Toronto has won 10 of their last 11 games at Scotiabank Arena and four of their last five on home ice against the Panthers.
After Florida opened as the favourite to win this series on the NHL futures board, the series line now slightly favours the Leafs at -115, with the Panthers coming in at -105. However, the favoured exact series result remains Florida winning in six games at +375 and the biggest long shot remains a Toronto sweep at +1000.
After a two-goal performance in Game 1, William Nylander is a -120 favourite to lead the series in goals. Nylander was priced at +600 before the series began. Sam Reinhart (+750) and Auston Matthews (+850) round out the top three goalscoring favourites.
Both teams are middle of the pack when it comes to their Stanley Cup odds. Florida currently has the fourth-shortest Cup odds at (+550) after entering the second round as +425 Stanley Cup favourites. Toronto has the fifth-shortest Cup odds at +575 after entering Round 2 at +750.
Florida Panthers
The Panthers seemed sluggish to start Game 1, with Sergei Bobrovsky giving up the first goal just 33 seconds into the first period. The Panthers were outshot 12-4 in the opening frame, but ended up outshooting Toronto in the second and third periods. Sam Bennett, Seth Jones, Eetu Luostarinen and Uvis Balinskis scored for Florida. Depth production is one of the key things that has stuck out for this team as the Panthers have six players tied for the team lead with six points apiece in the playoffs.
Bennett, who leads Florida with four goals this postseason, almost landed into some hot water after landing a sneaky elbow to the back of the head of Toronto goalie Anthony Stolarz. Although Stolarz eventually left the game, the refs didn’t call anything on the play and the NHL won’t suspend Bennett. Look for that to be addressed by the Leafs in Game 2. The Panthers will also welcome back Aaron Ekblad to the lineup for Game 2 after he finished serving a two-game suspension he picked up in the first round against Tampa Bay.
Toronto Maple Leafs
William Nylander shined in Game 1, scoring the game’s first two goals in the first period and later adding an assist. Morgan Rielly and Chris Tanev also found the back of the net before Matthew Knies’ breakaway goal proved to be the game-winner. Nylander is now tied with Dallas’ Mikko Rantanen and Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor the playoff scoring lead at 12 points apiece. Toronto has to be careful not to let their foot off the gas. They led 4-1 entering the third period, but the game came down to the wire after Florida scored two quick goals. Letting up in any way is a recipe for disaster against this Panthers team.
The Bennett elbow to former teammate Stolarz didn’t initially look bad as Stolarz stayed in the game for a few minutes after. Things then took a scary turn as he was seen vomiting on Toronto’s bench during a break in play before exiting the game. Stolarz reportedly left the building on a stretcher, although he’s since been released from the hospital. Stolarz hasn’t yet been ruled out of Game 2, but you have to think it’s more likely Joseph Woll will get the start. Woll stopped 17 of 20 shots faced in relief in Game 1, his first action since April 17.
FLA
TOR