NHL Betting Preview: Florida Panthers at Toronto Maple Leafs

Added on Oct 26, 2010 by Jack Thurman in

NHL

Big card of sports betting action on Tuesday as the NBA starts its 2010-2011 season with three games on the board, but the better wagering opportunities could be in the NHL where there are six games on tap. We’ll take a look at a Eastern Conference matchup between the surprising Toronto Maple Leafs and the Florida Panthers.

Florida Panthers at Toronto Maple Leafs
October 26, 2010 4:00 PM Pacific

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been the surprise team of the 2010-2011 NHL season but they could be falling back to earth after losing three straight games. They could have their hands full tonight as we’ve really liked what we’ve seen from this Florida Panthers team so far this year. Florida is the best 3-3 team in the NHL–all you need to do is look at their goal differential to see that. They’ve got a +5 differential on the season, which makes them the only team in the league with a positive differential figure and a record of .500 or below. It’s also better than four of the six teams leading their division.

The Panthers lack big play scoring threats on offense, but they’re nasty on the defensive end. Florida is ranked #3 in scoring defense (2.00 goals against per game). Most significantly, they work hard for 60 minutes every night and that effort will start to pay dividends as the season progresses. The Panthers have now won 3 of 4 and they’ve had no trouble with Toronto in head to head play–the Panthers have won 6 of 8 and 3 of the last 4 at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto is improved from last year, but not to the point that justifies the price in this game. It’s a result of public perception and of the Maple Leafs’ status as one of the big ‘square’ teams in hockey. We’ll gladly take Florida as sizable dogs and on balance think they’re the better team.

Bet Florida Panthers +140 over Toronto Maple Leafs