Rangers vs. Maple Leafs NHL Odds, Prediction and Picks: Leafs Test Stingy New York Defence
The Leafs return home riding their first win streak of the season after rolling to a decisive 6-2 victory in Columbus on Tuesday night. That comes on the heels of a 3-1 home win over San Jose that marked the first time they have surrendered fewer than three goals this season. The Rangers extended their steady start to the campaign with Monday’s 5-2 victory over the visiting Anaheim Ducks. But New York has struggled on the road, losing three straight, and four of five overall while potting just four total goals away from Madison Square Garden.
Thursday’s contest is pegged as a virtual pick ’em on the NHL odds, with both the Leafs and Rangers sporting -110 odds, with the total listed at 6.5.
Rangers vs. Maple Leafs NHL Betting Odds
The Maple Leafs took two of three from the Rangers last season, capped by a narrow 4-3 victory at Scotiabank Arena on March 25. Toronto has now topped the Blueshirts in seven of 10 meetings including four of their past five, with each of those victories coming by a single goal. These clubs have also combined to score 7+ total goals in three of the past four contests during a 3-1 run for the OVER in NHL totals betting.
The Buds have allowed just three total goals over their two recent wins after surrendering 3.45 goals per game during a middling 3-4-2 start to the campaign, including 14 total goals during last week’s three-game slide. While the wins are welcome, the turnaround has more to do with steady goaltending than more responsible defensive play, with Leaf netminders turning aside 66 of 69 total shots faced in this week’s victories.
The Rangers have emerged as one of the top defensive teams in the early going of the NHL season. Despite losing star goaltender Igor Shesterkin to a season-ending injury, the Rangers rank third overall with a team goals against average of 2.18, and have given up more than two goals just once in 10 games. However, they have produced uneven results on the NHL totals, with the OVER/UNDER going 3-3 over their past six.
New York Rangers
The Rangers have enjoyed an impressive start under head coach Mike Sullivan, collecting 15 points through 11 games despite a difficult injury situation. In addition to Igor Shesterkin, who has been placed on long-term injured reserve, backup Joonas Korpisalo is also sidelined, leaving rookie Dylan Garand with a substantially increased workload. Garand has benefited from New York’s commitment to defence, and a 94.1% penalty kill. Up front, Oliver Bjorkstrand scored twice, while Gabriel Perreault, Sean Durzi and captain J.T. Miller also found the net as the rangers snapped a two-game slide with Monday’s rout of the Ducks. However, the Rangers are missing injured forwards Joe Veleno and Adam Sykora, further testing the club’s depth.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs are beginning to show signs of offensive improvement after an inconsistent start to the campaign. Auston Matthews continued to roll versus the Blue Jackets, scoring his eighth goal and adding an assist, and now trails only Connor McDavid with 18 points. Easton Cowan and Jack Roslovic extended their hot starts by contributing a goal and two assists apiece, while William Nylander recorded a goal and an assist and Morgan Rielly collected three helpers. The Leafs erupted for four second-period goals in Columbus, including a short-handed marker from Cowan, to take control of the contest. However, the final score concealed another uneven defensive performance. Columbus outshot the Leafs 35-22, with Anthony Stolarz making 33 saves. In addition, Toronto’s injury situation also remains troublesome. John Tavares, Max Domi, Chris Tanev and Dakota Joshua are among those sidelined, while Jake McCabe is considered day-to-day after suffering a nasty facial injury on Tuesday night.
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