The Toronto Maple Leafs play a road back-to-back against the New Jersey Devils.
The pregame narrative: The Leafs and Devils are loaded with offensive talent and therefore, the over on the game total is my best bet. I’m also taking Matthews to score at a discounted price.
Check out our Maple Leafs vs. Devils picks for the game on Thursday, Oct. 10.
Maple Leafs picks vs. Devils
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Best bet: Over 6.5 goals (-115)
These teams have combined to go under this number in all three of their games but something has to give.
New Jersey held the Buffalo Sabres to two goals in as many games played but the Sabres’ offence is nowhere near the level of Toronto’s.
Last season, both the Leafs and Devils both ranked inside the top 10 for over records:
- Toronto: 44-34-4
- New Jersey: 46-34-2
Yesterday, the Leafs were shut out for the first time in 252 games (regular season and playoffs) so I don’t see that being a regular occurrence. Especially when they record 48 shots on target.
New Jersey has scored three and four goals respectively in their first two games and now finds a proper dance partner to showcase offence. Toronto led the league in away goals last season (147), according to Natural Stat Trick.
Key stat: The last four meetings between the Leafs and Devils have gone over this total.
Quick picks
Matthews to score (-112): I’m buying in on Matthews at this price.
In the season opener, he carried -159 odds to score but was kept off the scoresheet because of a stellar night by Sam Montembeault. He made 48 saves and stopped all six of Matthews’ attempts.
The Maple Leafs’ newest captain led the league with 69 goals last season and scored three goals in two games against the Devils.
Matthews also had 30 goals in 41 away games last year and has his second try in as many nights to score his first of the season.
Picks made at 11:06 a.m. on 10/10/24
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.