Just two days after taking on the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center, the Toronto Maple Leafs flip the script and bring their Metropolitan Division friends with them to Scotiabank Arena. It’s an immediate grudge match on Thursday’s National Hockey League schedule, and we’re here to break down what it means for both teams ahead of puck drop!
Bet on Devils vs. Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs are clear home favourites, coming in between -192 and -205 on the moneyline.
Devils vs. Maple Leafs Best Odds
| Devils Moneyline Odds | +175 @ Pinnacle |
| Maple Leafs Moneyline Odds | -192 @ Betano |
| Puckline odds | Maple Leafs -1.5 (+128) @ NorthStar Bets Devils +1.5 (-140) @ Bet99+ |
| Total | Over 6.5 goals (-103) @ PROLINE+ Under 6.5 goals (-105) @ Pinnacle |
| Time/Date | April 11, 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | Broadcast: Sportsnet Ontario Stream: Sportsnet+ (How to watch the NHL in Canada?) |
Betting Toronto Maple Leafs (46-23-9 SU, 33-46 ATS, 41-35-2 o/u)
If you’re rooting for the Maple Leafs to end this regular season on a high note, you’ve got to be pretty happy with how Tuesday went, as the team picked up their sixth win in their last seven, working towards eventual victory against these very same Devils.
Nick Robertson, fresh off a couple of healthy scratches, did what he usually does when put in that situation – he got himself on the board early, giving Toronto a 1-0 lead just nine minutes in. Nico Hischier tied the game before the period ended, and Dawson Mercer put New Jersey up early in the second, keeping the lead until the 15-minute mark. Up to that point, Jake Allen looked poised to steal a game for the Devils, but Tyler Bertuzzi scored his 20th of the season to tie the game up, and only nine seconds after that, Mark Giordano followed with his third.
In the third period, an insurance goal game from the stick we were all hoping to see light up, as Auston Matthews took in a Max Domi pass and ripped his 66th goal of the season. Many were hoping for another from Matthews with the net empty, but he couldn’t find a way onto the ice in time, so Bertuzzi added his own second goal of the evening to ice the game.
The win puts Toronto just three points back of Florida with a game in hand, and a game against them still in their schedule. If you really want to dream, a 0-3 final week for Boston and a 4-0 showing for Toronto could even give them the Atlantic… but we’ll cross that bridge when, and if, it gets a little closer.
Betting New Jersey Devils (37-37-5 SU, 28-56 ATS, 45-33-1 o/u)
The clock struck midnight on the Devils’ season with Tuesday’s game, as the loss mathematically eliminated them from playoff contention. It feels like just a few months ago when they were near the top of the Presidents’ Trophy and Stanley Cup futures odds lists. At the end of the day, every misfortune and misstep eventually adds up, and the result is one of the most disappointing seasons of any team in the league this year, if not the most disappointing.
If we’re being honest though, the chimes started before the final buzzer on Tuesday, and the impact will continue into tonight. That came with the news that Jack Hughes’ season had come to an end, with the superstar forward opting for shoulder surgery. Hughes, who battled with injuries throughout the year, had 27 goals and 74 points in 62 games this season – still very good, but not quite the year people were expecting out of him.
Last Matchup
We don’t need to run you down again, so jump straight from the highlights to the lineups!
Projected Devils and Leafs Lines
| Today’s Toronto Maple Leafs Lines | Today’s New Jersey Devils Lines |
|---|---|
| Forwards Tyler Bertuzzi – Auston Matthews – Max Domi Bobby McMann – John Tavares – Mitch Marner Nick Robertson – Pontus Holmberg – William Nylander Matthew Knies – David Kampf – Noah Gregor Defence Morgan Rielly – Ilya Lyubushkin Simon Benoit – Joel Edmundson Mark Giordano – TJ Brodie Starting In Goal Ilya Samsonov 23-6-7, 3.00 GAA, 0.895 SV% | Forwards Shane Bowers – Nico Hischier – Jesper Bratt Timo Meier – Erik Haula – Alexander Holtz Ondrej Palat – Tomas Nosek – Dawson Mercer Brian Halonen – Chris Tierney – Nolan Foote Defence Luke Hughes – John Marino Kevin Bahl – Brendan Smith Jonas Siegenthaler – Simon Nemec Starting In Goal Kaapo Kakhonen 7-23-3, 3.72 GAA, 0.897 SV% |
The Maple Leafs made some changes ahead of Tuesday’s game, drawing in Nick Robertson and Noah Gregor for Connor Dewar and Ryan Reaves. We’ll see if that holds for this one, though with Robertson getting a goal, I like his odds of sticking around, at least for another game.
The Devils haven’t hinted at any changes from their Tuesday night lineup either. My guess is if one of the teams tips off that they’ll be dressing their fourth-line enforcer (Ryan Reaves on Toronto, Kurtis MacDermid on New Jersey), the other will follow suit before puck drop.
We ended up seeing Woll vs. Allen on Tuesday, so we’d expect both teams to go to their other netminders tonight.
Auston Matthews to score a goal
-130
Devils vs. Maple Leafs Injury Concerns
For the Maple Leafs, Joel Edmundson appears to be back in the Leafs lineup after recovering from a minor foot injury, suffered when blocking a shot. Edmundson described it as something he’d play through if it were the postseason, but worth taking some time off now.
The only difference on New Jersey’s front is that we know that Jack Hughes’ injury is certain and season-ending. Beyond that, they’re still without Nathan Bastian (lower body, indefinite), Curtis Lazar (upper body, likely out for season), and Dougie Hamilton (pectoral, likely out for season).
NHL Betting Trends
- Toronto’s last win knocked out a previous win, so they remain 8-2 in their last 10 games against the Devils dating back to December 2019. The puckline has landed on the Leafs in six of those 10 games and the total goals over has been hit in seven of them, including the last three.
- Toronto is 7-3 in their last 10 games, with a matching record against the puckline and a 4-6 split on the total goals line.
- New Jersey is 4-6 in their last 10 games, with a 5-5 record against the puckline and seven overs on total goals.
NHL Player Prop Trends
- Leading the way for Toronto in goals (nine), points (15), and shots (52) in their last 10 games is Auston Matthews, unsurprisingly.
- Matthews no longer has the outright lead in assists over their last 10 though, sharing it with TJ Brodie, who has quietly also put up six assists in Toronto’s last 10 games. John Tavares and Max Domi each have five.
- Nico Hischier is now the most productive Devil over their last 10 games, picking up five goals and eight assists. Luke Hughes shares the team lead in assists over that stretch (nine) with Jesper Bratt and the lead in shots on goal (28) with Timo Meier.
Devils vs. Maple Leafs Predictions
- We’re going nowhere on Auston Matthews, eagerly awaiting his 67th goal. The best value on him tonight can be found at Sports Interaction, where you can get Matthews to score at -130. FanDuel also has him at the same price. We won’t do the shot prop tonight, since the counting gods were not on our side on Tuesday.
- If you’re particularly interested in the hunt for 70 goals for Matthews, I wrote about it in further detail on Wednesday!
- The Devils no longer have the playoffs to play for, but they do have pride. This could end up a blowout, but I’m leaning towards it being tight. Take a good look at the Devils against the puckline at -140 over at Bet99.
- If you’re leaning all the way into a Devils revenge game (I’m not sure that I am, but I’m not ruling it out), bet365 has a Boosted Same Game Parlay that takes a Devils win and both Bratt & Meier to take at least three shots on goal. Normally +425, this parlay is at +500. Meier was completely held off the board last game, so you’d be betting on him being one of the main players motivated to do better than Tuesday.
