Florida Panthers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Game 1 Best Bets

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers are set to kick off Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs from Scotiabank Arena tonight.

All Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

There are a lot of similarities between these two hockey teams entering the second round of the postseason. The Panthers upset the Bruins in Round 1 after being down 3-1, while the Maple Leafs got past the first round for the first time in nearly two decades. That will create an exciting environment in this series, especially for this Game 1, where both teams will enter on a high. The Maple Leafs are listed as home favorites tonight on the moneyline at -164, while the Panthers are priced at +136. 

The primary question that needs to be answered tonight is how these teams will respond after a very emotionally draining first-round series. Will one group experience a letdown tonight, or will the momentum they created in Round 1 carry over to Game 1?

Looking towards the projected goalie matchup tonight, the visiting Panthers will continue riding Sergei Bobrovsky, while the Maple Leafs will do the same with Ilya Samsonov. The Panthers netminder has posted a 3-1 record, paired with a .891 save percentage, while Samsonov is sitting at 4-2, along with a .900 save percentage. Both goalies have been much better than those numbers represent, meaning it will be interesting to see how they fare in this matchup with two high-scoring offenses present. 

There’s a lot of uncertainty for both sides heading into Game 1, which makes it hard to have a heavy lean in one way or another. With the Maple Leafs at home tonight and a surefire rocking environment, there’s some value in backing them to start this series on time, unlike against the Tampa Bay Lightning last round. 

Best Bet: Maple Leafs moneyline  (-164)

Of the sixteen teams qualifying for the postseason in Round 1, the Maple Leafs and Panthers found themselves as top five scoring offenses. There’s merit in that continuing in Game 1, especially when you factor in the offense on both sides and the feeling-out process these teams will go through. The total for tonight’s Game 1 is 6.5, with the over priced at -120, while the under is -102. During their four meetings in the regular season, two games saw seven or more goals scored, while two went under the number. We’ll side with the goals being scored at a high rate for the opener. 

Best Bet: Over 6.5 (-120) 

The good thing about this series is that there’s certainly no shortage of offensive talent, meaning there will be some good value on the board to target in the goal-scoring department. During the first round of the playoffs, Auston Matthews finally looked at home in the postseason. His production resembled that sentiment, which saw him tally five goals and four assists through six games. Matthews will be a big problem for Florida in this matchup, and he’s listed at a very attractive price of -116 to find the back of the net. 

Best Prop: Auston Matthews to Record Over 0.5 Goals (-116)