Hot off the heels of an overtime win against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves on a quick trip to New Jersey to take on the Devils in the first game of a home-and-home matchup. With key Atlantic Division standings points available, hopes will be high for a repeat effort, though a scrappy opponent holding onto their last hope at a playoff spot could give them some trouble. Let’s look at what’s at stake going into this Tuesday night puck drop!
Bet on Maple Leafs vs. Devils
The Maple Leafs are slight road favourites, coming in between -111 and -125 on the moneyline.
Devils vs. Maple Leafs Best Odds
| Maple Leafs Moneyline Odds | -111 @ Pinnacle |
| Devils Moneyline Odds | +105 @ Betano |
| Puckline odds | Maple Leafs -1.5 (+208) @ Pinnacle Devils +1.5 (-213) @ Proline+ |
| Total | Over 6.5 goals (-117) @ Pinnacle Under 6.5 goals (+110) @ BetRivers |
| Time/Date | April 9, 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | Broadcast: TSN 4 Stream: Sportsnet+ (How to watch the NHL in Canada?) |
Betting Toronto Maple Leafs (45-23-9 SU, 31-46 ATS, 40-35-2 o/u)
The Maple Leafs are going to have a long week of hungry teams ahead of them, and they got the ball rolling on Monday against the Penguins, who are in the thick of a race somewhere in between the wild card and the Metropolitan Division.
To an extent, the Leafs did a team that features several of their old friends in the lineup and in the pressbox a bit of a favour, letting the festivities stretch to overtime. Rickard Rakell took advantage of a bad Ilya Lyubushkin turnover in the first to give the Penguins the lead, but Matthew Knies equalized the affair with his 15th of the season in the second. Early in the third, with Erik Karlsson in the penalty box, Auston Matthews teed off for his 65th goal of the season, tying Alex Ovechkin for the most goals in a season during the salary cap era. Drew O’Connor brought the game back equal, setting up the extra frame.
The Penguins were without Sidney Crosby to start overtime – No. 87 had been banged up many times throughout the game, and this time had a skate malfunction. It ended up playing to Toronto’s advantage, as before he could reach the ice, Matthews set up Jake McCabe for the game-winner. With the win, the Leafs move into a much more comfortable situation in their divisional playoff race, now six points ahead of Tampa Bay and just three behind Florida with a game in hand. Continued success over the next few games could give them a real shot at home-ice advantage.
Betting New Jersey Devils (37-36-5 SU, 28-55 ATS, 44-33-1 o/u)
Heading into the season, the Devils were a popular pick to go on a deep playoff run. In fact, they were my personal Stanley Cup pick going into the season. Much of this was contingent on them being able to bolster their goaltending and defence, however, and that just never came to the degree that was hoped. With all of the big fish (Juuse Saros, Connor Hellebuyck, Jacob Markstrom) in the rumour mill at the start of the season sticking around with their respective teams, the Devils waited until the deadline to make a move in goal, and while Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen have been a marked improvement on what they had before, it’s simply too little, too late.
The Devils had a quick flash in mid-March where they looked like they could make a push into a playoff position, with four wins in five games, including one against Toronto. But they’ve since gone the polar opposite direction, losing four of five since March 29th. They technically haven’t been eliminated just yet, and they’ll likely keep swinging until the bell rings, but they’ll have to win out the rest of the year and get favourable results from divisional rivals to have a real shot at this. Nevertheless, the top-end talent is good, and teams usually give Toronto their best, so they’re still to be respected in a game like this despite their struggles.
Last Matchup
These two teams have only faced each other once this season, and it was only a few weeks ago. Things started well for the Leafs when Tyler Bertuzzi put them up 1-0 a minute into the first period, but New Jersey’s biggest names were determined to shine that night. Luke Hughes tied the game three minutes later, and Nico Hischier put them up by the end of the period. Toronto regained their lead early in the second with goals from William Nylander and Auston Matthews, but were met with a response within seconds from Timo Meier, and fell back behind by the end of the period. Jack Hughes put a bow on the game in the closing minutes of the third, scoring an insurance goal and an empty-netter within a two-minute span, securing a 6-3 victory for New Jersey.
Projected Devils and Leafs Lines
| Today’s Toronto Maple Leafs Lines | Today’s New Jersey Devils Lines |
|---|---|
| Forwards Tyler Bertuzzi – Auston Matthews – Max Domi Bobby McMann – John Tavares – Mitch Marner Matthew Knies – Pontus Holmberg – William Nylander Connor Dewar – David Kampf – Ryan Reaves Defence Morgan Rielly – Ilya Lyubushkin Simon Benoit – Jake McCabe Mark Giordano – TJ Brodie Starting In Goal Joseph Woll 11-10-1, 2.92 GAA, 0.907 SV% | Forwards Shane Bowers – Nico Hischier – Jesper Bratt Timo Meier – Erik Haula – Alexander Holtz Ondrej Palat – Tomas Nosek – Dawson Mercer Kurtis MacDermid – Chris Tierney – Nolan Foote Defence Luke Hughes – John Marino Kevin Bahl – Brendan Smith Jonas Siegenthaler – Simon Nemec Starting In Goal Kaapo Kakhonen 7-23-3, 3.72 GAA, 0.897 SV% |
The Maple Leafs are expected to use more or less the same roster as they did against the Penguins, which comes as no surprise. On New Jersey’s end, the group looks pretty similar to the lineup that faced Toronto on March 26th, with a couple of slight rearrangements on the top lines and some fresh bodies on line four.
Auston Matthews to score a goal
-114
Devils vs. Maple Leafs Injury Concerns
The Maple Leafs haven’t had any updates on injuries since yesterday, meaning we shouldn’t expect anyone out or anyone back in.
The Devils are without a bevy of players, including Jack Hughes (undisclosed, day-to-day), Nathan Bastian (lower body, indefinite), Curtis Lazar (upper body, likely out for season), and Dougie Hamilton (pectoral, likely out for season).
NHL Betting Trends
- While the Devils own the last game between these two, the Leafs have dominated the head-to-head in recent history, going 8-2 since January 2019. Toronto is also 6-4 against the puckline, while the total goals over has hit six times.
- Toronto is 6-4 in their last 10 games, with a 7-3 record against the puckline and a perfect 5-5 split on the total goals line.
- New Jersey are 5-5 in their last 10 games, with a 6-4 record against the puckline and seven overs on total goals. They’re currently on a three-game home losing streak.
NHL Player Prop Trends
- Auston Matthews’ nuclear run continues, with 10 goals, eight assists, and 53 shots on goal in Toronto’s last 10 games. All of these lead the team.
- After Matthews, the Leafs have no other point-per-game players in their last 10 games, though John Tavares (2G 7A), Max Domi (1G 7A), William Nylander (3G 5A), and Matthew Knies (3G 5A) are all in the mix.
- Jesper Bratt has been the most productive player on the Devils over their last 10 games, producing three goals and 11 assists. Bratt shares the assists lead with Luke Hughes, while Jack Hughes and Timo Meier share the goals lead with six apiece.
Devils vs. Maple Leafs Predictions
- Auston Matthews fever is only getting hotter right now, with goals in five consecutive games. The best deal for an anytime goal tonight can be found at Betano, sitting at -114. You can also ride his shots on goal run at NorthStar Bets, getting him at +115 to clear 4.5. The shot prop feels a bit weaker after taking just two yesterday, but he’s responded to his last handful of two-or-fewer games with 6, 7, 4, 6, and 5 shots respectively.
- I wouldn’t be too surprised to see Toronto struggle out of the first period tonight, with travel and a lack of rest considered, along with New Jersey’s eagerness to make a last-ditch effort. You can grab the Devils to be up after one at most books, but you’ll get your best value on Betano at +102.
- Jesper Bratt is on an eight-game point streak and has scored points in seven of his last nine games against Toronto going back to 2019. If you like him to keep that up, you can get him over 0.5 points on Sports Interaction at -210. If you think he’ll get multiple points, BetVictor at +105 is your best bet.
