NHL Playoffs Picks: Can Maple Leafs Stay Alive?

Edmonton tries to even their series against Vegas, while Toronto attempts to stay in the playoffs versus the Florida Panthers.   

Here is some information that may help with your NHL betting Wednesday night. 

Schedule Breakdown

Here is tonight’s breakdown. 

• Toronto Maple Leafs at Florida Panthers - 7 p.m. ET
• Dallas Stars at Edmonton Oilers - 10 p.m. ET

The schedule keeps things easy.   

The Road Better Traveled 

After a Sunday that saw a rare sweep, Monday delivered a road win, and Tuesday gave us two more road routs. What fun is it for fans when their team is not competitive in a game? At least New Jersey got the first goal in before things went south. Seattle was dominated after 40 minutes, worse than in any Colorado game last round. 

Naturally, watching both teams lose by several goals was entirely unexpected. This year has been even more different than last season’s playoffs. It, indeed, was one of those nights. 

ESPN With The Third Straight Night Of Puck

Wednesday night features ESPN once again with the two games. Local coverage will only be available for pre and post-game coverage. In Canada, Sportsnet, CBC, and TVAS carry the contest.

Could there be the first sweep of the playoffs in Florida? Now, that would be some crazy stuff. 

Toronto Maple Leafs at Florida Panthers

The Toronto Maple Leafs won three games in overtime in Round 1 versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. It can be argued that Toronto survived and got “puck luck” as much as winning. Now, that luck has run out so far in Round 2 versus Florida.   

Give credit to Matthew Tkachuk, who, along with Aleksander Barkov, has formed quite a 1-2 punch against Toronto’s “Core Four.” Toronto’s top players have handled this spotlight poorly. It is almost like getting to the second round was their Stanley Cup. Sergei Bobrovsky has hit his save prop in every game and has not yet given up three goals in a contest.

If there is a night for Toronto to win, it is Wednesday night. The season is on the line, and so are a lot of jobs too. Imagine the Maple Leafs facing even more change to advance a round. Again, Toronto is in foreign territory here.

Vegas Golden Knights at Edmonton Oilers 

The Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers are on a roller coaster. No one knows how these games are going to go. 

Game 1 was wild, where the teams combined for 10 goals. Game 2 featured one-sided domination from Edmonton, and then Game 3 saw Vegas turn the tables on the road. 

Can Edmonton bounce back at home? Again, this is one of those series where the inconsistency is consistent. That makes wagering frustrating, to say the least. So, our plan is to cut back a little and play less. 

Some Wagers To Consider Placing

• Crazy, but a hedge on Toronto or Florida to win by 1 in regulation is about +362.
• Florida on the Moneyline is still Even.
• Edmonton and Vegas Over 7 at +105.
• Both the Oilers and Golden Knights to score 3+ goals is at +125
• Leon Draisaitl anytime goal, Oilers Moneyline, and Over 6.5 goals at +210.
• Matthew Tkachuk's anytime goal is at +115. Carter Verhaeghe at +130.
• Dallas Stanley Cup Future at +600 or Carolina at +250.

Good luck, and once again, thanks for reading! We will carry some more plays on social media as conditions warrant.

Thanks to BetMGM Sportsbook for their help.