The Toronto Maple Leafs will play the New York Islanders on Thursday night at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York. Toronto has won four games in a row, while New York has lost four of their last five. Let’s take a look at the betting matchup and the Maple Leafs vs Islanders prediction.
Maple Leafs Preview
The Toronto Maple Leafs are 21-10-7 this season after they defeated the Sharks by a score of 7-1 in their last game. Toronto scored two goals in the first, two in the second, and three in the third for the easy win. The Maple Leafs out shot San Jose by a total of 46-23 and went 3-3 on the power play in the game. Toronto also defeated San Jose by a score of 4-1 in the game prior. The Maple Leafs are scoring 3.58 goals per game and they are allowing 3.16 goals against per game, while going 27% on the power play and 78% on the penalty kill. William Nylander has led Toronto with 21 goals, 36 assists, and 164 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for Toronto is Martin Jones, who is 8-3-0 this year with a 1.98 goals against average and a .934 save percentage.
Islanders Preview
The New York Islanders are 18-12-10 this year after they lost to Vancouver by a score of 5-2 in their last game. New York allowed the first three goals in this game and they could never really get back into the game. The Islanders were out shot by a total of 34-20 and went 1-2 on the power play in the game. New York lost to Vegas by a score of 5-2 in the game prior to Vancouver, but did defeat Arizona by a score of 5-1 before that. The Islanders are scoring 3.05 goals per game and they are allowing 3.30 goals against per game, while going 23.9% on the power play and 72.7% on the penalty kill. Mathew Barzal has led New York with 11 goals, 30 assists, and 115 shots on goal. The projected starting goalie for New York is Ilya Sorokin, who is 12-8-8 this season with a 3.20 goals against average and a .908 save percentage.
New York Islanders Team Facts
- The Islanders have won three of their last four games as underdogs following a loss.
- The Islanders have covered the puck line in each of their last eight games as underdogs following a loss.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Islanders’ last 13 games as underdogs.
- The Islanders have lost the third period in four of their last five games as underdogs following a home loss.
Toronto Maple Leafs Team Facts
- The Maple Leafs have won each of their last four games.
- The Maple Leafs have failed to cover the puck line in 15 of their last 18 games as favorites against opponents on a losing streak.
- The Maple Leafs have won the third period in each of their last four night games.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in 11 of the Maple Leafs’ last 12 games as favorites against Metropolitan Division opponents.
New York Islanders Player Prop Facts
- Bo Horvat has scored a goal in each of the Islanders’ last four games against Atlantic Division opponents at UBS Arena.
- Mathew Barzal has recorded at least one point in each of his last eight appearances with the Islanders as home underdogs.
- Mathew Barzal has recorded at least one assist in each of the Islanders’ last four games as home underdogs against Eastern Conference opponents.
- Noah Dobson ranks 1st in the Metropolitan Division for average time on ice (25:51) this season.
Toronto Maple Leafs Player Prop Facts
- Auston Matthews has scored at least one goal in each of his last five appearances with the Maple Leafs as favorites against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- William Nylander has recorded at least one assist in 13 of the Maple Leafs’ last 14 games as favorites.
- John Tavares has recorded at least one point in seven of the Maple Leafs’ last eight games as favorites against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- Auston Matthews ranks 1st in the league for multi-goal games (10) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The New York Islanders rank 31st in the league for shots against per game this season (35.1).
- The New York Islanders are one of only three teams to lose 3+ games when leading after Period 2 this season.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of only two teams to win 3+ games when trailing after Period 2 this season.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of only four teams to win a game when trailing by 2 or more goals after Period 1 this season.
Maple Leafs vs Islanders Betting Prediction
Toronto comes into this game playing great hockey and they have won four games in a row. The Maple Leafs have out scored their opponents by a total of 16-3 in those four wins and they will be on the road here, where they are 11-3-5 this season. New York is 10-5-6 at home, but they have struggled in their last five games. Toronto is one of the highest scoring teams in the NHL and they will face a New York team that has allowed five goals in three of their last four games. Take the Maple Leafs here.