Two of the NHL’s most-lethal teams on the power play, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Islanders meet at the Barclays Center for an Eastern Conference matchup. The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, March 30, and it is being shown live on MSG Network.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. New York Islanders Odds
Toronto (-165) is currently the favorite over New York (+145) and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 7 goals (-120 to bet the over, +100 for the under).
Toronto is 46-31 straight up (SU) and has netted moneyline bettors 5.5 units this season. Through 77 regular season outings, 40 of its games have gone over the total, while 33 have gone under and just four have pushed. The Leafs are 19-20 SU on the road in 2017-18.
Toronto has converted on 23.4 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that places them in the top-5 among NHL teams. On the other hand, it has the sixth-best penalty kill in the league, and it has successfully killed off 82.7 percent of its penalties.
Toronto, as a collective unit, has been penalized just 3.2 times per game this season, and 2.6 per game over its last five contests. The team has had to kill penalties just 6.7 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 30.7 saves per game with a .917 save percentage, Frederik Andersen (38-25-5) has been the best option in goal for Toronto this season. If Toronto chooses to rest him, however, head coach Mike Babcock could turn to Curtis McElhinney (10-6-1), who has a .935 save percentage and 2.09 goals against average this year.
The visiting Maple Leafs have relied on Mitchell Marner and William Nylander heavily this year. Marner has 67 points on 21 goals and 46 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 16 different games. Nylander has 17 goals and 38 assists to his nameand has registered at least one point in 41 games.
On the other side of the ice, New York is 32-45 straight up (SU) and has lost 12.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. 46 of its outings have gone over the total, while 28 have gone under and just three have pushed. This season, the team is 17-21 SU as the home team.
New York has converted on 22.3 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s good enough for seventh-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 30th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 74.6 percent of all opponent power plays.
New York skaters have been called for penalties only 3.4 times per game in total this season, and 4.2 per game over their last ten match ups. The team has had to kill penalties just 8.2 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Jaroslav Halak has denied 29.2 shots per game as the primary choice in goal for New York. Halak has 19 wins, 34 losses, and six OT losses to his credit and has registered a fairly-weak .906 save percentage and 3.24 goals against average this season.
John Tavares (33 goals, 46 assists) will pace the offensive attack for the Islanders.
Toronto Maple Leafs at New York Islanders Betting Predictions
NHL Tip: SU Winner – Islanders, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes
The total has gone under in three of New York’s last five outings.
Penalties and power plays may prove to be even more key than usual in tonight’s game. The Maple Leafs are 17-11 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 34-29 when they’re in the box for fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Islanders are 12-23 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 20-34 when their penalty minutes are in the single digits.
Toronto is 7-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while New York is 3-3 in shootouts.
New York is ranked 22nd in the NHL this season with 6.5 takeaways per game. That figure has trended higher, as the team has created 7.6 takeaways over its last 10 games and 7.6 takeaways over its last five.
Toronto is ranked sixth overall this season with 8.4 takeaways per game. That figure has trended higher, as the team has averaged 9.1 takeaways over its last 10 games and 11.8 takeaways over its last five.
Toronto might hold the upper hand if it’s a tight one late. The team’s an impressive 24-12 in one-goal games, while New York is only 13-19 in such games.
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