NHL Playoffs Picks & Predictions: Friday (Maple Leafs vs. Panthers)
We have just one NHL game on the schedule - a possible elimination game between Florida and Toronto. The Panthers have won three straight and have a chance to end the Maple Leafs’ season after they won the first two games. We’ll break down the matchup and share our best NHL bet.
Friday's NHL Playoffs Best Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Toronto Maple Leafs (+200) at Florida Panthers (-245) | O/U 5.5 (-115/-105)
The Maple Leafs' playoff woes seem to haunt them. After taking a 2-0 series lead against the defending champions, the Panthers have won three straight and are one game away from their third consecutive Eastern Conference Finals.
Game 5 went as well as you could imagine, as Florida's offense went off in the 6-1 win. Both teams had 32 shots on goal, but you see the difference when one team has a two-time Vezina Trophy winner and the other is playing their backups. Sergei Bobrovsky saved 31 out of 32 shots in Game 5 and has now saved 54 of the last 55 shots he has faced.
Joseph Woll has not been efficient after Anthony Stolarz went down in Game 1. He’s allowing 3.60 goals per game and an .877 save percentage. He was pulled from Game 5 after allowing five goals.
Florida made changes to its lineup, and it's paying off. Panthers coach Paul Maurice swapped out his fourth line and changed his top two lines. We've seen a spark from the depth, with Jonah Gadjovich, A.J. Greer and Jesper Boqvist scoring during this winning streak.
While Florida's offense is thriving, Toronto's has stalled. For most of the playoffs, Toronto wasn't generating many scoring opportunities, but they were striking gold with goals in those limited chances. That trend continued in the first two games as Florida dominated the Corsi rate, but came up short. Those were each high-scoring, one-point wins, so it was a matter of time before Florida pushed through.
The Maple Leafs had better scoring opportunities in Game 5, with nine high-danger shots, but Bobrovsky was able to save eight. They need their superstars to step up. Auston Matthews hasn't found the back of the net in this series, Mitch Marner hasn’t scored since Game 2, and both have had brutal giveaways that resulted in goals.
The Leafs have the talent to regroup and the offense should play better in a potentially high-scoring game.
Pick: Over 5.5 Goals (-115)