Blue Jackets vs Maple Leafs Prediction and Odds 3-7-22
Blue Jackets vs Maple Leafs Betting Preview
WagerTalk NHL handicapper Kevin Dolan offers his Blue Jackets vs Maple Leafs betting preview for Monday, March 7. Toronto hits the road on after disappointing back-to-back home losses against the Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks. How will they fare away from their home ice?
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| Monday, March 7 | NHL Betting Notes, Courtesy of Caesars |
|---|---|
| Moneyline: | Toronto Maple Leafs -190 vs Columbus Blue Jackets +170 |
| Puckline: | Maple Leafs -1.5 (+120) / Blue Jackets +1.5 (-140) |
| Total: | 7 Goals (Over +105 / Under -125) |
| Game Time: | 7:05pm ET / 4:05pm PT |
| Arena: | Nationwide Arena in Columbus |
| TV: | ESPN+ and Hulu |
Blue Jackets vs Maple Leafs Analysis
The Columbus Blue Jackets are struggling to find their form, losing four of their last five games outright and will look for something of a home stand here on Monday in what will be their final home game before heading on the road to face the New York Islanders on Thursday.
This will be the teams’ third meeting of the season with each team having split the series so far with respective home wins.
Toronto’s Defensive Issues
It’s been a rough ride defensively for the Maple Leafs of late. Only one of their last four games has seen them concede less than five goals as they suffered yet another monumental collapse in Saturday’s loss against the Vancouver Canucks, allowing three goals in just the third period alone, as they look to improve on what has been a really substandard defense this year.
However, data-wise the Leafs have actually been good this season, ranking top ten in the league on expected goals against this year, but have simply failed to benefit from a -17 expected goal differential this season, making them one of the unluckiest teams this year defensively.
Columbus’ Rollercoaster Home Record
The Blue Jackets have been shaky themselves of late, needing to survive a late third period rally by the New Jersey Devils last Tuesday night just to win their only game of what has been a four game homestand so far.
Columbus will be looking to reverse that here tonight however and recapture some of that home form which saw them win three of their preceding four games at home against some pretty good opposition, the New York Rangers and this same Toronto Maple Leafs team included.
Blue Jackets vs Maple Leafs Prediction
Despite both teams defensive frailties at the back this season, getting a total of 7 goals at affordable juice looks too good to pass up here.
Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe highlighted the need for greater defense after Saturday’s third period showing against the Canucks and that could well be a focus for Toronto approaching this game.
The Leafs xGA numbers have actually been good this year and providing Petr Mrazek can get anywhere close to his January numbers for this game, where he was averaging just 2.11 goals against per game, we could well see an Under hit here tonight.
With the Blue Jackets averaging the 12th-fewest high-danger scoring opportunities to opponents this year also, we’re looking towards taking the under in this one.
Take the under 7 goals in Monday night’s Eastern Conference clash between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets.
Interested in placing a bet on Monday night’s Blue Jackets vs Maple Leafs showdown? Caesars Sports is offering up to a $1,500 match bet for first-time deposits in New Jersey, West Virginia, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, Tennessee, Arizona, New York and Louisiana.
Hockey Betting 101 | What is the Puckline?
The puckline is hockey’s version of the point spread. When betting on the puckline, the favorite is -1.5 goals on the spread, with the underdog at +1.5 goals. Betting on the favorite requires your team to win its game by two or more goals. Conversely, betting on the underdog at +1.5 means that your team can either win the game or lose by one goal, and your ticket will still cash.
Since the majority of hockey betting is built around the moneyline, casual bettors might be turned off by laying larger prices with the top teams in the league. Instead of laying -200 or -250 on a strong favorite, a more attractive option might be laying -1.5 goals at a more reasonable price point. Conversely, it can be hard to pull the trigger on a +200 underdog that’s expected to lose their game over 60% of the time. Well, it gets a little easier to put your money on them if you’re getting a +1.5 goal head start.
WagerTalk Live Odds Screen
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