Ryan Hodges
The Panthers and Maple Leafs gave the hockey world a show Game 1 of their series, which opened the 2nd round of this NHL postseason. Of the 4 remaining series in this round, this one may very well be the must-watch pick of the bunch. With a little bit of everything in this matchup and the series starting with a bang, this Game 2 will be one you will not want to miss. If you want to have some vested interest, here is our Panthers vs Maple Leafs Same Game Parlay at +525 odds. You can also find out our NHL picks for this matchup and Stars vs Jets.
Panthers ML (-142)
Over 5.5 (-122)
Carter Verhaeghe anytime goalscorer (+225)
Panthers vs Maple Leafs Same Game Parlay odds: +525
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Florida Panthers ML over Toronto Maple Leafs (-142)
Among several trends, one thing that has proven over several postseasons is that the Panthers are a very reliable team in the playoffs, while the Maple Leafs are not a reliable team in the playoffs. The Leafs looked great in Game 1, but the Panthers are a very difficult team to beat twice in a row. Florida won 3 of the 4 regular-season head-to-head matchups with an average win by 2.33 goals. Even in Toronto’s 2 wins over Florida between the regular season and playoffs, they escaped by 1 goal. The Panthers are the more experienced, proven team and they know what they have to do to avoid going home down 2-0 in the series.
In these playoffs, the Panthers have both scored more and allowed fewer goals per game than the Maple Leafs. In Game 1, Florida scored 4 goals, which is not abnormal. But they gave up 5 goals, which is abnormal. During the regular season, the Panthers ranked 7th in the NHL in goal prevention. This postseason, they rank 3rd in goal prevention. Toronto likely will not score 5 goals per game. When they don’t, they will need to find a way to compete with the defending Stanley Cup champions. If these teams hold to their averages, it should bode better for the Panthers as the team with the proven pedigree.
Read our full Panthers vs Maple Leafs Game 2 prediction
Over 5.5 (-122)
The high-scoring Game 1 was the 7th Over in Florida’s last 8 games, as well as the 4th over in their last 5 games played on the road. In the Panthers’ last 4 losses, they have given up 5 goals in each of those games. And in the Panthers’ last 4 wins, they have scored a total of 18 goals for an average of 4.5 goals per game. In the past month or so, whether it is the regular season or postseason, at home or on the road, the range of outcomes for the Panthers has been favoring the Over regardless of win or loss. The trends have a good chance to continue against an offensively talented team like the Maple Leafs.
Toronto’s Game 1 win was a textbook example of forcing the opponent to have to change their game plan on the fly. The Leafs came out and scored just 33 seconds into the game and had a 3-1 lead after the first period. Toronto’s early and often scoring forced Florida to adjust from a more physical, blue-collar, fundamentally sound style of play to a style more geared toward generating offense and taking some chances to get back in the game. One group of beneficiaries of that game script were overs betters. The pure matchup of these teams and the level of offensive production on either side lends itself to high-scoring games. Regardless of which team comes out of the gate hot, they have a good chance to change their opponent’s game plan in a style more favorable to the Over.
Find out our Dallas Stars vs Winnipeg Jets prediction for Game 1 of their series tonight
Carter Verhaeghe anytime goalscorer (+225)
The Panthers are back in a familiar spot in the NHL playoffs for a myriad of reasons. But one primary reason is purely the makeup of their roster. The Panthers are loaded with reliable, physical, productive players. In any given game, the game-winning goal can come from the stick of just about any 18 of their skaters. Carter Verhaeghe has proven as much in his tenure with the Panthers. In the last 3 seasons, which was the beginning of this dominant Panthers run, Verhaeghe logged 42, 34 and 20 goals respectively during the regular season. His production has transferred to the postseason as he logged 7, 11 and so far 2 goals during those playoff runs, including 7 game winners. With that, he now has 43 points in his last 51 playoff games during this 3-year Panthers run.
Verhaeghe’s last 3 postseasons only solidified his pedigree as a player that had already been on a Stanley Cup-winning team. He has now been on playoff teams for 6 consecutive seasons, the first 3 of which included 24 total games played, a short run of 12 points in 10 games, and a Stanley Cup win as a member of the Lightning. He has rightfully earned a spot on Florida’s top line with Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart, as well as the top power play with Barkov, Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk and Seth Jones. In 6 games played this postseason, Verhaeghe has 5 points and is logging over 17 minutes of ice time per game. Among several possible goalscorers in this game, Verhaeghe has a favorable opportunity and value at +225 odds to score a goal, adding to his proven track record.
