Face-off: 1900 ET, 23/03/2022
Arena: Scotiabank Arena
Toronto have already beaten New Jersey twice this year, scoring 13 goals in the process, and can confirm that superiority at Scotiabank Arena.
The Maple Leafs are fighting hard for a top-three finish in the Atlantic Division, whereas the Devils are joint-bottom of the Metropolitan.
We’re snapping up 2.0 for a home win and over 5.5 total goals in our Toronto Maple Leafs vs New Jersey Devils predictions.
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Toronto Maple Leafs Odds
Toronto suffered a setback when beaten 6-3 at in-form Nashville on Saturday, despite Mitchell Marner posting two goals and an assist.
Auston Matthews looked rusty early on in his return from a two-game ban but ended up with a goal and an assist after finding his feet.
“I thought it took him a while to really get going in the game, but once he did, he was real good,” said coach Sheldon Keefe.
“He could have had three or four. He could have changed the game. He gets a huge goal for us in the third, but he could have had a bunch more.”
Matthews should be sharper from the outset here and the Maple Leafs will be happy to return home, where they are on a 3-0-1 streak and 22-7-2 for the season.
Bringing in defenceman Mark Giordano and forward Colin Blackwell from Seattle in exchange for draft picks showed Toronto are intent on immediate success.
Looking at the NHL odds for this contest, 4.2 for the hosts to oblige by exactly three goals takes the eye.
New Jersey Devils Odds
New Jersey enjoyed a cracking 7-3 victory versus New York Rangers on home ice last night, when they scored five unanswered goals in the second period and Jack Hughes added two more in the third.
Having trailed 2-0 after 20 minutes, coach Lindy Ruff commented: “I think the sign of a good team is the fact they can bounce back.
“You can’t win every period. There are going to be periods where the other team is the better team. Can you make an adjustment? Can you play a better period?
“We went to a more aggressive forecheck, we stressed our transition game and I thought it led to a lot of opportunities.”
However, the Devils had previously fallen to three straight 6-3 defeats on their travels and have lost six consecutive away games.
One stat which does stand out, though, is that high-octane New Jersey have scored more than twice in eight of their last nine road matches.
That makes 5.75 for Toronto to prevail in regular time and both teams to net at least three times a value pick for our NHL predictions.
Additional stats
Last result:
Nashville 6-3 TORONTO
NEW JERSEY 7-4 New York Rangers
Season head-to-head: New Jersey 1-7 Toronto, Toronto 6-4 New Jersey
