Florida Panthers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Game 5 Prediction, NHL Playoff Odds
Florida played their most complete game of the series on Sunday and were rewarded with a 2-0 victory to even their second-round playoff series against Toronto at two games apiece. Can the Maple Leafs capitalize once again on home ice, or will the Panthers push Toronto to the brink of elimination?
Florida is a -145 favourite to win on the NHL odds, with the total set at 6.0.
Panthers vs. Maple Leafs NHL Betting Odds
Home ice is clearly key in this series as the road team remains winless. When you’re looking at game totals in head-to-head history, one interesting trend was snapped in Game 4 as it was the first shutout between these teams since February 2018, a span of 32 games.
Ahead of Game 5, the Panthers are headed to the Six as -200 favourites to win the series on the NHL futures board, while the Leafs are +165 underdogs. The favoured exact series result is a Florida win in six games at +155 and the biggest long shot is a Toronto win in six at +475.
If you’re looking for player props, I like Sergei Bobrovsky to record 30+ saves in any game of the series. Bobrovsky looks like he’s regained his form after his best performance of the playoffs and Toronto has generated 30 or more shots in two of of four games this series.
Looking longer term, these teams sit middle of the pack in terms of Stanley Cup favourites. The Panthers are +425 to win the Cup and the Leafs are +900.
Florida Panthers
Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe had the goals for Florida in Game 2, while Sergei Bobrovsky recorded 23 saves for his second shutout of the playoffs. It was a textbook game from the Panthers, who took a lead into the third period before shutting things down defensively. Florida has won 25 consecutive playoff games when leading after two periods, a streak that dates to May 5, 2022. Contributions from throughout the lineup have been key for the Cats as eight different players have recorded a team-high eight points in the playoffs.
Toronto may look back on the Game 3 overtime loss as a huge missed opportunity as Bobrovsky shut the door in Game 4 and looks like he’s re-found his form. Bobrovsky was far from his best in the first three games of this series, allowing 13 goals while posting an .840 save percentage. Fresh off the fifth playoff shutout of his career, Bobrovsky could be poised to steal the rest of this series for Florida.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The noise surrounding Auston Matthews’ lack of scoring is only continuing to grow after the Leafs’ shutout loss in Game 4. Matthews hasn’t scored in this series and he only has two goals this postseason. His defensive numbers are great, but Toronto can’t expect to go far if the highest paid player and captain of the team can’t find the back of the net when it matters most.
One positive for the Leafs on Sunday was the play of Joseph Woll, who turned aside 35 of 37 shots faced. Woll was shaky in his first two starts of the postseason, allowing eight goals combined in Games 2 and 3, but he bounced back and looked great in Game 4. Anthony Stolarz returned to practice on Tuesday for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury in Game 1, but he likely won’t factor into the rest of this series, so Woll needs to be at his best.
FLA
TOR