In their fourth and last head-to-head matchup of the regular season, the Florida Panthers and the Toronto Maple Leafs meet at Air Canada Centre in an Atlantic Division showdown. The opening face-off is at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 28, and it is being televised live on Sportsnet.
Florida Panthers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Odds
With a -160 moneyline, Toronto enters the contest as the heavy favorite. The line for Florida sits at +140 and the oddsmakers have put the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -115 money on the over and -105 for the under.
Toronto is 45-31 straight up (SU) and has earned 4.5 units for moneyline bettors this year. That winning percentage, the third-best in the Atlantic Division in this young season, is a welcome improvement over the 40-42 record from last year’s regular season campaign. Through 76 regular season outings, 39 of its games have gone over the total, while 33 have gone under and just four have pushed. The team is 26-11 SU at home this year.
The Maple Leafs come into the matchup with the third-strongest power-play unit in the NHL, as they’ve scored on 23.6 percent of their extra-man opportunities this season. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked eighth overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 82.5 percent of all penalties.
As a team, the Maple Leafs have been penalized just 3.2 times per game overall this season, and 1.8 per game over their last five contests home outings. The team’s had to stave off opponent power plays for just 6.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings, in total.
Sporting a .918 save percentage and 30.7 saves per game, Frederik Andersen (37-25-5) has been the best goalkeeper for Toronto this season. If the Leafs, however, decide to give him the night off, Toronto might turn to Curtis McElhinney (10-6-6 record, .935 save percentage, 2.09 goals against average).
Mitchell Marner and William Nylander will both look to continue their strong seasons for the Maple Leafs. Marner (65 points) has tallied 20 goals and 45 assists and has recorded multiple points 16 times this year. Nylander has 17 goals and 37 assists to his credit and has notched at least one point in 41 contests.
On the other side of the rink, Florida is 39-35 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 2.4 units this season. A total of 37 of its outings have gone over the total, while 36 have gone under and just one has pushed. The Panthers are 16-21 SU as the road team this season.
The Panthers have converted on 19.0 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 14th overall and it’s successfully killed off 81.0 percent of all opponent power plays.
Florida’s players have been penalized 4.3 times per game in total this season, 4.0 per game over their last five games total, and 3.8 per game over their last five road outings. The team has been forced to defend opponent power plays 9.4 minutes per contest over their last five road games.
James Reimer (.914 save percentage and 2.92 goals against average) has been the main option in goal for Florida. Reimer is averaging 28.4 saves per game and has 20 wins, 20 losses, and five overtime losses to his credit.
For the visiting Panthers, the offense will run through Aleksander Barkov (26 goals, 49 assists) and Vincent Trocheck (30 goals, 39 assists).
Florida Panthers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Free Picks
Free NHL Tip: SU Winner – Panthers, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes
Toronto is 7-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while Florida is 3-3 in shootouts.
The over has hit in three of Toronto’s last five games.
Florida’s attempted 34.8 shots per contest overall this season (the most in the NHL), and 37.5 in its last 10 games.
Nine of Florida’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 6-3 in those games.
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