Leafs vs Panthers Odds: Florida Favored in Regular Season Finale
Panthers With Shot at Top Spot in Atlantic

The Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Florida Panthers for the final regular season games of the season Tuesday. It’s a meaningless game for the Maple Leafs, who are locked into the No. 3 spot out of Atlanta. Florida can pass Boston for the division title but needs Ottawa to beat the Bruins on Tuesday. If the Bruins win, Toronto and Florida will meet in the first round of the playoffs. With Florida having some incentive to win, the Leafs vs Panthers odds show the Panthers are -142 over Toronto. The total is 6.5-under (-125). The line opened lower but climbed after Washington defeated Boston Monday night. That gave Florida a bit more to play for.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers 
Location: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, Florida
Day/Time:
Toronto Tough on the Road
The Maple Leafs have been one of the best road teams in the NHL this season, entering the game with a 24-9-6Â record. Toronto is 19-14 after a loss and 6-6 as an underdog this season. The Maple Leafs have won two of the three meetings between the teams this season. The Panthers won at home in October and the Leafs won the two games played in Toronto. Toronto is 43-35-2 in totals on the season.
Joseph Woll should get the start for Toronto tonight. He brings a 12-10-1 record and 2.88 GAA with a .907 save percentage into the game. He was the winning goalie when the teams met in Toronto on Nov. 28, allowing one goal in a 2-1 shootout win for the Leafs. He won his last start against New Jersey.
Toronto would probably like to see Auston Matthews get his 70th goal of the season, but the primary objective is to come out of the game healthy. The Leafs could give the third and fourth lines a little more ice time than normal, depending on the game situation.
Panthers Will Scoreboard Watch
Florida will be keeping one eye on the scoreboard during the game, hoping to see an improbable Ottawa win. Winning the division won’t necessarily make the road through the Eastern Conference much easier. It would mean a first-round meeting with the Tampa Bay Lightning, which isn’t an enviable task for anybody. The Panthers are 25-13-2 at home this season and 33-17 after a win. Florida is getting quite a bit of respect in the NHL Stanley Cup odds. The Panthers are the second choice at +700.
Anthony Stolarz should be in the net for the Panthers. He brings a 15-7-2 record with a 2.03 GAA and .926 save percentage into the game. Florida’s goaltending has been huge this season, with Stolarz and Sergei Bobrovsky both in the top three in save percentage. That’s a big reason why the Panthers are 29-49-3 in totals this season, making the under a nightly possibility in your NHL betting picks.
Florida’s game starts 30 minutes after the Bruins game with Ottawa, so the Panthers will be able to do a little scoreboard watching. If the Bruins get up by a few goals, the Panthers could play the bottom lines a bit more than usual.
Looking For Value
The Leafs vs Panthers odds have Toronto as one of the largest underdogs they’ve been all season. The logic behind that makes sense, however, as Toronto will be the No. 3 team from the Atlantic no matter what happens. The Panthers can win the division, so the incentive to win should be in Florida’s favor. The Panthers also lost the last two meetings between the teams, so they’ll want to make a statement in case they meet in the first round of the playoffs.
The Leafs vs Panthers odds aren’t taking into consideration that Florida has been strong as a smaller favorite this season. The Panthers are 20-6 as a favorite of less than -145, which is the case here. How much weight you place on that could determine if you think the Panthers are one of your best NHL bets today.
From a strict value standpoint, the way to play this one is probably under 6.5. Two of the three games this season have gone under the total, and Woll was solid against Florida, which is his lone start against them. Stolarz was the losing goaling in Toronto’s 2-1 shootout win, so he’s played well against the Leafs.{
Leafs vs Panthers Lines
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