Florida Panthers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Game 5 Prediction, NHL Odds
In their darkest hour, the Toronto Maple Leafs pulled out a 2-1 win in Game 4. It saved their season, at least for now.
The Leafs are -178 favourites on the NHL odds.
Panthers vs. Maple Leafs NHL Playoffs Betting Odds
With Florida up 3-1 in the best-of-7, it is now -417 on the series line (was -1111 entering Game 4) with Toronto +341 (was +729). That the series ends in five games is +146, six games +232 and seven games +201. The favoured exact result is Panthers in five at +149. Toronto in seven is +350. If there is a Game 6, it is Sunday in South Florida. Game 7 would be Tuesday at Scotiabank Arena.
The Maple Leafs were the first team in NHL history to rally from down 3-0 to win a series, doing it in the 1942 Stanley Cup Final against Detroit. Overall, just four NHL teams have completed the comeback, but no franchise has done it twice. Florida has never blown a 3-0 lead but only held that advantage once previously in team history. Toronto is 1-15 all-time when trailing a series 3-1 and 1-4 when that series started at home.
The road team is 6-1 in the past seven meetings.
Florida Panthers
Florida’s six-game winning streak was snapped in Wednesday’s 2-1 home loss as the Cats were trying to become only the fourth team in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68) to complete a sweep at any point of a postseason after entering as the lowest-seeded team. Sam Reinhart’s sixth goal of the playoffs cut Toronto’s lead to 2-1 at 12:13 of the third, but Florida couldn’t solve Joseph Woll again.
Sergei Bobrovsky allowed exactly two goals for the fourth time in as many games this series but lost for the first time. He also had won six in a row. Bobrovsky played very well, though, turning aside 10 of the 11 high-danger shots he faced – including a John Tavares breakaway near the end of the second period to keep the Florida deficit at 1-0. Via NaturalStatTrick.com, Bobrovsky has given up just eight goals on 13.48 expected goals in the series. Florida is 5-0 in its past five road games.
Toronto Maple Leafs
While the shots were tied 25-all in Game 4, Toronto was the better team. It outhit Florida 26-21, dominated in the faceoff circle (62.2 per cent) and blocked 12 more shots. None of the Core Four Leafs stars had scored a goal in the series, but William Nylander (third of playoffs) and Mitchell Marner (third) both found the net Wednesday.
Marner added an assist and was the No. 1 star, which shockingly didn’t go to former third-string netminder Joseph Woll (No. 2 star), who made 24 saves in his first career playoff start with Ilya Samsonov injured. Woll became the 11th different Toronto rookie goaltender to earn a playoff win and the first since Felix Potvin in Game 5 of the 1993 conference finals. Samsonov remains out Friday as does rookie forward Matthew Knies (concussion). Toronto is 8-2 in its past 10 Friday games.
