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2020 NHL Playoffs: Columbus Blue Jackets vs Toronto Maple Leafs Odds & Series Pick

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The Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets will battle in one of the more intriguing qualifying series when the 2019-20 NHL season continues. The Leafs are actually one of the biggest favorites on the board in terms of these series prices but many people feel the Blue Jackets could be a live dog.

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Columbus Blue Jackets vs Toronto Maple Leafs

Odds: Blue Jackets +136, Maple Leafs -166 at FanDuel Sportsbook

Blue Jackets Outlook
The Blue Jackets were hit hard by losses in the offseason and the thinking was that this team would struggle in 2020. They load stars Artemi Panarin up front and Sergei Bobrovsky in net and the team was supposed to be one of the weaker ones in the East. That’s why a lot of people were surprised when they started the year 30-16-9 and were in playoff position in early February. The issue is that from there, the wheels came off the bus and the Blue Jackets entered the hiatus with just three wins in their final 15 games.

The key to the Blue Jackets winning this series will be their defense and goaltending. At 2.61 goals per game, they allow the third-fewest markers per outing in the NHL. They fell back to 2.93 in February and that’s why things started to go haywire for them. They only scored 2.13 goals per game that month – the second-fewest in the NHL – and they only score 2.57 goals per game overall, so if they can’t keep the Leafs under wraps, this will be a quick series.

Maple Leafs Outlook
Like the Blue Jackets, the Maple Leafs started the season off well. They were 24-14-5 through 43 games. As it stands now, their 81 points are tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Carolina Hurricanes for the sixth/seven/eight slots in the East. The Leafs were wildly inconsistent down the stretch of the season, going 12-11-4 in their final 27 contests. Goaltender Frederik Andersen has been fairly unreliable this season as the 30-year-old posted a lousy 2.85 GAA and .909 save percentage. He had an .893 save percentage in January and .884 in February; that’s simply not going to cut it.

The Leafs are the third-highest scoring team in the NHL with 3.39 goals per game. They need to get that offense going and turn these contests into high-scoring affairs. That’s how they win this series.

Outlook

I’ve been perplexed by this series price from the beginning. The Blue Jackets and Leafs have the same amount of points and both slumped before the pause. The Leafs have the higher-profile pieces – they have stars while the Blue Jackets are a blue-collar, anonymous team – but it doesn’t mean that they’re better.

In my view, this is way more of a tossup than these odds suggest, which is why I’m willing to take a shot with the Blue Jackets here. They actually look like a live dog to me and I wouldn’t be surprised if they pull this out. The pressure is on Toronto to deliver after the recent playoff shortcomings and the big spending. Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets enter under the radar with no expectations. They’re the better-coached team with the better defense and goaltending. In the playoffs, that usually wins out.

Pick: Blue Jackets in 5 at FanDuel Sportsbook

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Dave Golokhov is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Dave, check out his archive and follow him @davegolokhov.