The Toronto Maple Leafs will be looking to solidify their grasp on third place in the Atlantic Division standings when they visit the Florida Panthers on Thursday night in a pick’em matchup on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto picked up a 4-3 victory in Tampa Bay on Tuesday night to maintain a two-point lead over Florida in the division standings going into Thursday night’s matchup at BB&T Center. That victory as +160 underdogs snapped a two-game road losing streak, as well as a three-game slide against the Lightning. However, the win came at a heavy cost, with defenceman Jake Muzzin suffering a hand injury that is expected to sideline him for four weeks.
Muzzin has emerged as a Maple Leafs team leader, particularly in the absence of fellow blueliner Morgan Rielly. The 31-year-old has picked up the slack offensively while Rielly has been out with a foot injury, racking up eight points over the past six games. The Maple Leafs also sorely missed Muzzin while he missed 10 games earlier this season, falling to defeat in six of those contests while surrendering 3.90 goals per game.
The Panthers return home after closing out a five-game western swing with a 2-1 win in Arizona as +115 underdogs at sports betting sites on Tuesday night. Florida has struggled to consistently record wins in recent weeks, claiming victory in just five of its past 14 contests while losing four straight on home ice. However, they have dominated the Maple Leafs in recent dates on home ice, posting wins in six straight meetings since December 2016.
Elsewhere on the Thursday NHL odds, the Winnipeg Jets will be looking to halt the three-game losing streak that has hampered their efforts to return to the playoff picture as they play host to the Washington Capitals as +125 underdogs.
The Jets closed out a four-game road trip with a 4-3 loss in Washington as a +175 wager on Tuesday night and remain deadlocked with the Coyotes and Nashville Predators in the race for the second Western Conference wild card. The team has also produced streaky results on home ice, going 6-5-1 over their past 12 outings, according to the OddsShark NHL Database, but faces a Capitals team has potted just five total goals during a three-game road losing streak.
As well, the Calgary Flames will try to maintain their narrow two-point lead over the Predators in the wild card race as they visit Nashville as +110 underdogs on Thursday night, while the Montreal Canadiens will play host to the New York Rangers as -135 favourites.
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