Madison Square Garden is playing host to an intriguing clash as the Toronto Maple Leafs take on the New York Rangers. It’s the third and last time that these two clubs will meet in the regular season. This Original Six matchup gets going at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, February 5 and it can be viewed live on Sportsnet.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. New York Rangers Odds
Toronto (-135) is tabbed as the favorite over New York (+115). If you want to put some action on the matchup’s Over/Under (O/U) total, you’ll be looking at 105 money on over 7 goals and +-125 on the under courtesy of William Hill.
Toronto is 28-25 straight up (SU) and has lost 7.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. 31 of its outings have gone over the total, while 20 have gone under and just two have pushed. As the road team this season, the Leafs are 15-11 SU.
Toronto has converted on 24.5 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that places them in the top-5 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 26th in the league, and the team’s successfully killed off only 77.0 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, Toronto has been sent to the penalty box just 3.1 times per game overall in the 2019-20 season, and 2.0 per game over its past five games. The team has had to kill penalties just 5.4 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 27.8 saves per game with a .910 save percentage, Frederik Andersen (24-18-6) has been the primary option in goal for Toronto this season. If head coach Sheldon Keefe decides to rest him, however, the team could turn to Michael Hutchinson (4-10-1 record, .886 save percentage, 3.62 goals against average).
The visiting Maple Leafs have relied on Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner heavily this year. Matthews (62 points) is up to 37 goals and 25 assists, and has recorded two or more points 20 times. Marner has 14 goals and 39 assists to his name (and has notched at least one point in 32 games).
New York is 25-26 straight up (SU) and has netted 5.8 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 51 regular season contests, 25 of its games have gone under the total, while 24 have gone over and just two have pushed. It’s 14-13 SU at home this season.
New York has converted on 23.5 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 22nd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 78.3 percent of all penalties.
New York players have been penalized 4.5 times per game this season, and 2.4 per game over their last five contests. The team’s had to stave off opponent power plays just 4.8 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Henrik Lundqvist has stopped 28.6 shots per game as the top choice in goal for New York. Lundqvist has 10 wins, 17 losses, and three OT losses to his credit and has recorded a subpar .907 save percentage and 3.13 goals against average this season.
Artemi Panarin (27 goals, 44 assists) will lead the offensive counter for the Rangers.
Toronto Maple Leafs at New York Rangers Free Picks
NHL Tip: SU Winner – Maple Leafs, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
The total has gone over in four of Toronto’s last five outings.
The Maple Leafs are 7-5 in games where the team outshoots its opponent by 10 or more. They’ve averaged the league’s fourth-most shots on goal (33.7) while New York has attempted just the 22nd-most (30.5).
The Rangers are 10-15 SU in games where they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Maple Leafs are 11-9 SU when they spend more time in the box than their opponent.
Two of Toronto’s past 10 contests have gone to a shootout. The team is 0-2 in those games and 1-4 overall in shootouts this season.
New York skaters have managed 9.0 takeaways per game over its last five home games, an improvement over its season average of 8.2 takeaways per game (ranked 11th).
Toronto has averaged 6.4 takeaways per game over its last five road games, a drop-off from its season average of 8.2 takeaways per game (ranked 11th overall).
