Maple Leafs Can’t Be Unfocused Hosting New Jersey
Devils vs Maple Leafs Odds Favor the Home Team
It was a matter of time before the New Jersey Devils were eliminated from the postseason. It set in after a loss in game one of back-to-back games with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The hosts are looking to catch the Florida Panthers for home-ice advantage in the playoffs per the NHL hockey standings. The Devils vs Maple Leafs odds have Toronto as the -200 favorite with a total at 6.5.
New Jersey Devils vs Toronto Maple Leafs 
Records: New Jersey Devils (37-37-5), Toronto Maple Leafs (46-23-9)
Day/Time:
Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON
Streaming: MSG Network-2
Devils To Finish Back-To-Back Games Against Leafs
There was so much hope for New Jersey this season. But there were various reasons for the collapse of a team that featured four 25-goal scorers. We expect good teams to be around .500 on the road but dominant at home. Where the Devils failed was through a 17-20-3 home record. Their -12.70 units lost at the Prudential Center make them the worst wager at home.
Now that we’ve focused on the problem, let’s turn our attention to tonight with the Devils on the road where they are 20-17-2 (-1.14).
Goaltending has been a massive problem with both Jake Allen (11-17-4, 3.37, .898) and Akira Schmid (5-9-1, 3.15, .895). They now face a bigger issue with the announcement that Jack Hughes is done for the season with shoulder surgery on the horizon.
Two nights ago, Toronto took down New Jersey 5-2. The Devils failed to get more than nine shots on Toronto. Joseph Woll needed just 18 saves in the win.
Maple Leafs’ Depth Will Be Too Much
This might not be a must-watch NHL score unless you have a dog in the Atlantic Division fight. The Leafs should have an easy time. But this is also one of those times when we could see the Leafs overlook the Devils with three straight division games on deck.
The oddsmakers also seem to be fearful of this. The reality is, Toronto should at least be a -300 favorite. New Jersey is dealing with more injuries than just about any team in the league. Meanwhile, Toronto has a 40-goal scorer in William Nylander playing on the third line.
The Leafs started their last game the way we fear they may in tonight’s clash. It took Toronto well into the second period to wake up. Tyler Bertuzzi and Mark Giordano scored nine seconds apart with just under five minutes left in the middle stanza to give the Leafs a 3-2 lead.
We must remember that Toronto was playing the second of back-to-back games after beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 in overtime. That means Toronto will be playing their third game in four days, which also is a factor in the moneyline being longer than expected.
The Maple Leafs have returned a small profit for bettors this season with 1.12 units won. But as a favorite, they are slightly in the red with -1.13 units lost behind a record of 38-25. Toronto and New Jersey have split their two meetings this season but since 2018, Toronto has beaten New Jersey in 11 of their last 13 meetings.
With this team being loaded, the Leafs’ NHL playoff odds may be worth a consistent shot from game to game even if they don’t hold the home-ice advantage.
Expect Toronto Money To Drive Price Too High
We haven’t had any betting percentages returned yet. There is no way the public betting won’t go the way of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Of all the games on Thursday, this has been the game that has received the most wagers. That means the public is smelling an easy winner.
We’re not going to try and reinvent the wheel in this one because Toronto is the side but as we mentioned earlier, this seems like an odd number. It could be because of the Leafs’ schedule but it’s curious enough for us to look elsewhere to put our money in this one, which brings us to the total.
We can’t ignore the loss of Hughes and we know that Jersey will go into this with the mindset that they must play well defensively for 60 minutes to have a chance. That compels us to go with under the total of 6.5 as our official selection.
That does it for our Devils vs Maple Leafs odds preview, all the best with your Thursday NHL picks and parlays.
For NHL betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
