- What: Toronto Maple Leafs vs New York Rangers
- When: Thursday, April 13th
- Where: Madison Square Garden
Two 2023 NHL playoff contenders meet on Thursday in the regular season finale for both teams as the Toronto Maple Leafs head to the Big Apple to face the New York Rangers. The puck is scheduled to drop at 7 PM ET at Madison Square Garden. Toronto has won three in a row and just beat the Tampa Bay Lightning Tuesday, who will likely be their first-round opponent. As for NY, they lost last time out to the Buffalo Sabres in a shootout. Keep reading for the Maple Leafs vs Rangers prediction.
Before we get into the odds and picks for Thursday's encounter, make sure to check out our online sportsbook reviews, and the top NHL betting sites, like Bovada.
Maple Leafs vs Rangers Odds
The Rangers are the favorite here with odds of -135 at BetOnline, while Toronto comes back at +122. New York has actually won four of the last six against their Eastern Conference foes.
Toronto vs New York Betting Preview
The Leafs are heading into the postseason with no shortage of momentum, going 6-2-2 in their last 10 games. There's definitely a feeling they can finally overcome their past playoff failures but it won't be easy against a Lightning team with a championship pedigree. Thursday's finale against the Rangers is a good test.
Toronto sits at 49-21-11, which means they'll probably finish in fourth place in the East and second in the Atlantic Division. Sheldon Keefe's squad actually rested several key players Tuesday versus Tampa, including Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. However, their depth was on full display in the 4-3 win.
William Nylander starred, scoring and supplying two assists. Joseph Woll meanwhile made 48 saves in net as Matt Murray continues to be sidelined with an injury. The Leafs were actually outshot 48-24 in this contest but managed to make the most of their opportunities. Matthews and Marner should play Thursday. Even if they don't, Toronto still has a great chance to conclude the campaign on a high note.
The Rangers also come into this home game in good shape, owning a 6-1-3 record in the last 10. That includes wins over Tampa, Washington, Columbus, and others. New York is looking at a Metropolitan Division showdown in the playoffs with the New Jersey Devils, who sit just above them in the standings.
The team managed to grab a point on Monday at MSG against Buffalo after falling in a shootout. Artemi Panarin continued his fantastic season with a pair of goals, taking his total to 28 goals and 63 assists for 91 points. The winger will be very important come postseason time.
The Rangers actually play better on the road as opposed to at home, which is against the grain. In fact, NY has lost two in a row at MSG to Toronto. Not exactly a great sign for what could happen Thursday. With that being said, the outcome of this matchup truly doesn't matter. It would just be nice for the Rangers to find a win in front of their fans before marching into the playoffs.
Maple Leafs vs Rangers Prediction
Toronto is red-hot right now and tends to actually play well on the road. With the Rangers a surprising favorite here, I see a ton of value in the Leafs moneyline.
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