Maple Leafs Favored Over Red-Hot Jets

Thursday evening brings an intriguing Canadian clash between two legitimate contenders as the surging Winnipeg Jets head East to face Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7 PM ET. Winnipeg is 8-2-0 in their last 10 games but did just lose 4-1 to the lowly Montreal Canadiens. They will be determined to bounce back here. Toronto meanwhile won a 5-4 overtime thriller against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, with none other than William Nylander scoring the decisive goal in the extra period. Read on for the Jets vs Maple Leafs prediction.

Before we get into the odds and predictions for this game make sure to check out our online sportsbook reviews, and the top NHL betting sites.

Jets vs Maple Leafs Odds

	Puck Line	Moneyline	Total
Winnipeg Jets	+1.5 (-170)	+152	Ov 6 (-120)
Toronto Maple Leafs	-1.5 (+150)	-168	Un 6 (+109)

The Leafs are favored at 1.5 on the puck line with odds of -168. They're 22-16 as moneyline favorites in 2022-23. The Jets come back at +152 and have gone 11-11 as an underdog.

The total is set at six goals here, which the over being hit in three of the last four meetings. Toronto has won two in a row against Winnipeg, but the visitors did secure back-to-back victories prior to that. This matchup profiles to be a very entertaining one between a pair of teams with tons of scoring prowess.

Winnipeg Betting Analysis

The Jets are truly one of the best clubs in the NHL and continue to prove they will be a contender come playoff time. While their blue line is what stands out the most, allowing just 2.62 goals per game (4th in the league), the offense is also absolutely lethal. Winnipeg ranks 10th in scoring with 3.29 goals per contest, with left winger Kyle Connor leading the charge. The American has scored 22 goals and provided 32 assists in just 45 appearances, registering more than one point a night. Mark Scheifele is also doing his part, scoring a team-best 26 goals. Blake Wheeler, Pierre-Luc Dubois, and Josh Morrissey are all key contributors as well.

While the Jets are in good form, they slipped up against the 15th-place Canadiens. Their stout defense was nowhere to be seen here, allowing three goals in the second period alone. Montreal barely registered more shots than Winnipeg, but the hosts were a lot more clinical. After dropping what seemed to be a surefire win, the Jets have a ton of motivation here. It will not be easy, though. Toronto is legit.

Toronto Betting Analysis

The Leafs tend to always disappoint when it comes to the postseason. That being said, there's a feeling they could finally live up to expectations in 2023. The Leafs are full of star power and it's truly overwhelming for most opponents. Sheldon Keefe's group is fourth in the East with a terrific 27-11-7 record, but the team isn't playing the most consistent hockey as of late, going 5-4-1 in their last 10 outings. Mitch Marner, Matthews, Nylander, and John Tavares account for most of the production, all registering at least 45 points each. Nylander has a team-best 24 goals and as previously mentioned, came up clutch Tuesday against Florida.

It was a wild first period in the Six, with the Panthers leading 3-2 after the opening 20 minutes. The Leafs were eventually down 4-3 in the third before Nylander equalized. He then came up big in overtime with an insane solo goal, going end to end to beat netminder Sergei Bobrovsky. Toronto is practically unbeatable at Scotiabank Arena, compiling a 16-3-4 record in front of their home fans. It's a tough environment for any team to play. The Jets have their work cut out for them.