The Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets take part in the lone NHL game on Wednesday.
The pregame narrative: Both teams played yesterday, with the Leafs picking up a second consecutive win to get them above .500 on the season. The Blue Jackets have won back-to-back games as well, with both victories coming in overtime.
Check out my Maple Leafs prop picks vs. the Blue Jackets for the game on Oct. 29, featuring Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly.
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Maple Leafs picks vs. Blue Jackets
Best Bet: Matthews anytime goalscorer (+110)
There are still not a lot of players who can match Matthews’ goalscoring threat on a nightly basis.
- He’s on the ice a lot, ranking fifth among NHL forwards in average ice time (22:12).
- Matthews ranks sixth in the league in shots on goal (41). No one else on the Leafs has more than 27 shots.
The centreman has scored five goals in 10 games, which is a very respectable 41-goal pace. But there’s an argument to be made that he’s still underachieving.
-> Bet on Auston Matthews tonight!
Matthews has 6.6 expected goals, per Money Puck. That also ranks sixth in the NHL.
Columbus has been solid defensively, but it allows the second-most shots per game (32.8). Eventually, that’ll catch up to the Blue Jackets, and Matthews is an elite sniper.
Key stat: Matthews had two goals on 12 shots in three games against Columbus last season.
Best NHL prop predictions
Rielly to score 1+ points (+115): Rielly was on fire to start the season, recording six points in his first six games.
He’s cooled off significantly, but it’s time for him to break his pointless drought.
Rielly certainly isn’t short on opportunities. With Mitch Marner now in Vegas, the defenceman has reclaimed a spot on the top power play.
-> Don’t miss out — Bet on Maple Leafs vs. Blue Jackets props
The PP has been dreadful, ranking 27th in the NHL (14.8%), but it has scored in two of the past three games. When the Leafs start scoring with the man advantage, the points will pile up for Rielly.
Luckily, the power play has a great matchup tonight. The Blue Jackets own the NHL’s second-worst penalty kill (63.3%).
This is a great chance for Toronto to break out offensively, and Rielly has great value following three straight games without a point.
Maple Leafs picks made at 1:38 p.m. ET 10/29/2025.
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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.