Panthers vs. Maple Leafs playoff betting preview: Picks and NHL odds for the second-round series
The Toronto Maple Leafs are off to the second round and their opponent isn’t who many were expecting.
The Florida Panthers outmatched the Boston Bruins, taking down the record-setting, Presidents’ Trophy winners in seven games. The Panthers’ victory means Toronto will be heading to Florida for a second consecutive series with a spot in the Eastern Conference final on the line.
Panthers vs. Maple Leafs betting preview
Florida and Toronto get their series underway on Tuesday, May 2 at Scotiabank Arena and Game 2 is on Thursday.
Toronto is coming off a six-game series win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, securing its place in the second round for the first time since 2004.
Auston Matthews scored a team-leading five goals in the first-round matchup, while Mitch Marner contributed a team-best 11 points (a number matched by Matthew Tkachuk).
Tkachuk’s Panthers roared back after a 3-1 deficit to the Bruins, winning two of the final three games in overtime.
Panthers vs. Maple Leafs betting odds
The Maple Leafs are a -182 betting favourite to win the series, while the underdog Panthers have +152 odds to advance.
After downing the Lightning — who had made the Stanley Cup Final in three consecutive seasons — and thanks to Boston getting bounced, the Maple Leafs are the new favourite to win it all. Ahead of Game 1, Toronto is +360 to win the Cup and the Panthers are +900.
We have additional series markets as well, such as Toronto at plus money on a 1.5-game handicap.
NHL odds as of 11:26 a.m. ET on 05/01/2023.
Series winner
Maybe this is a fence-sitting pick, but we’re expecting this series to go the distance and will bank a game with Florida.
The Cats were a disappointment during the 2022-23 regular season, clawing their way into the playoffs as the second wild card after winning the Presidents’ Trophy last year. There’s a good explanation for that, however.
Some of Florida’s top players missed serious time. Aaron Ekblad (11 games), Aleksander Barkov (14 games), Sam Bennett (19 games) and Anthony Duclair (62 games) were all out due to various injuries but are now back in the lineup.
Bennett’s physical and offensive impacts were felt in the Boston series, as he notched five points in six games while serving as a pain in the side of the Bruins.
The regular season battles between the Panthers and Maple Leafs were extremely close, too. Toronto won the season series 3-1 but three of the games needed overtime to be decided.
We have a slight lean toward a Toronto series victory but aren’t willing to pay the -182 price. Betting on Florida +1.5 comes with less juice and covers us if the series goes to seven games.
Total games
Best Bet: Over 6.5 games (+210)
Sticking with our belief in a lengthy series, we’re willing to take the over on 6.5 games at these odds.
The last six games between these two squads illustrate just how evenly matched they are. The Panthers and Maple Leafs have both won three games during this stretch and five of their head-to-heads have gone to overtime.
Toronto won the lone game that didn’t go to extra time, 6-2, and the over was a successful wager in four of six meetings.
Both teams have offensive players capable of taking over a series. Tkachuk and Marner each finished one point shy of Dallas’ Roope Hintz for the most first-round points.
The offences both produced comparable totals, with Toronto averaging 3.83 goals per game and Florida notching 3.71 goals per outing.
The Panthers did allow a noticeably higher number of goals against (3.86) than the Maple Leafs (3.50), but it’s worth mentioning that Florida still managed to win four of seven games despite allowing three-plus goals in each contest.
The Comeback Cats lived up to the moniker in Round 1 and should prove to be a worthy opponent against Toronto.
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