The Toronto Maple Leafs look to hold the top spot in the Atlantic Division as they face one of their challengers, the Florida Panthers.
The pregame narrative: John Tavares looks like his prime self at the moment, and I’m taking a shot on his goalscorer prop at plus money. I’m also tailing William Nylander in my best bet.
Check out my Maple Leafs prop picks vs. Panthers for April 2.
Maple Leafs prop picks vs. Panthers
Best Bet: Nylander over 2.5 shots (-134)
This is a tough matchup, no doubt, but there are still a few reasons to like this over:
- Nylander averages well over this mark with 3.20 shots per game this season. That ranks 16th in the NHL.
- He’s 9-5 against this line over the past 14 games.
- On March 13 vs. the Panthers, Nylander tallied a team-high six shots (out of Toronto’s 25 total).
On a nightly basis, the Swedish winger has to share opportunities with Auston Matthews and other high-octane offensive talents.
But he continues to shine through, leading Toronto in both shots (237) and goals (42) this season.
Matthews’ shot total is set at 3.5 for a similar price, so I’ll buy in on Nylander instead.
Key stat: Nylander has tallied three-plus shots in both games against Florida this season.
Quick pick
Tavares anytime goalscorer (+170): I love the value here on the red-hot former captain.
Tavares has been the Leafs’ best player lately, scoring eight goals in his past six games.
He was held pointless against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday, but he notched 11 points in the five games before that.
If Tavares was due for a down game, it just happened, so I’m going to jump right back on the train.
I’m not sure if it’s the magic of a contract year or the relief of not wearing the “C” anymore, but Tavares sits second on the Leafs and 11th in the NHL with 35 goals.
Additionally, he scored one of Toronto’s goals in a 3-2 loss to the Panthers last month.
Maple Leafs vs. Panthers prop picks made at 9:35 a.m. ET 04/02/2025.
Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.