Wednesday evening brings a plethora of exciting matchups across the NHL and that includes a huge Atlantic Division showdown between Matthew Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers and the high-flying Toronto Maple Leafs. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7:30 PM ET at Scotiabank Arena. Florida is coming off a disappointing 5-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators in a battle of the Tkachuk brothers. Toronto, on the other hand, beat the Nashville Predators on Sunday by a score of 3-2. Find the Panthers vs Maple Leafs prediction below.
Before we get into the odds and picks for Tuesday's encounter, make sure to check out our online sportsbook reviews, and the top NHL betting sites, like Bovada.
Panthers vs Maple Leafs Odds
The Leafs are the home favorite here with moneyline odds of -139 at BetOnline. The Panthers come back at +126. Toronto just beat Florida 6-2 last week and has collected back-to-back victories against them.
Florida in a Rut
The Panthers are still in the Wild Card race, but they've hit a brutal cold spell lately. Florida has lost four straight, conceding far too many goals in the process. In fact, they've allowed 21 during this losing skid. Certainly a big problem. At the moment, the Panthers are third in the Wild Card but the Sens, Sabres, and Capitals are right on their heels. They must turn it around in a hurry.
Paul Maurice's squad was frankly outplayed by Ottawa on Monday, struggling again defensively. Despite outshooting the Senators, they only managed to score twice with Gustav Forsling producing all of the offense. Florida didn't help their case by giving up two goals in the first period alone. There are three games left on this road trip for the Panthers and it's absolutely crucial they find a couple of victories at the very least or else their playoff chances could slowly slip away. That starts with ending a losing skid against the Maple Leafs.
Toronto Stellar at Home
The Leafs have already clinched a playoff spot. At this point, it simply comes down to locking down the best-possible berth for the first round. They're comfortably in second in the Atlantic, with the Tampa Bay Lightning seven points behind them right now. If the postseason was to start today, Toronto would face Tampa.
Sheldon Keefe's group is one of the best teams in the league on home ice, compiling an impressive 25-7-5 record. The Maple Leafs are practically unbeatable at Scotiabank Arena. Toronto recently concluded a five-game road trip, finishing it up by taking down the Preds.
John Tavares was the star of the show here, scoring twice and supplying an assist to lead the charge. Toronto took a 2-0 lead before Nashville cut that lead in half. Tavares ultimately scored another and the Predators made it closer with a second goal but couldn't find an equalizer. The Leafs have now won two of their last three games. One of those victories was against the Panthers. With a four-headed monster in Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Tavares, and Mitch Marner, it will be very difficult for Florida to stop all of them Wednesday. That's a fact.
Panthers vs Maple Leafs Prediction
I have a really difficult time believing Florida is going to roll into Toronto and beat a surging Leafs team in their own building. Therefore, I'm looking at the Toronto moneyline and also the over in goals which sits at seven. It's been hit in eight of the last nine meetings. Expect no shortage of offense.
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