Maple Leafs vs. Blue Jackets Prediction
The Toronto Maple Leafs are rollng with four straight wins as they prepare for tonight’s contest at the Columbus Blue Jackets. Will Toronto make it five in a row with another victory?
Game Snapshot
31 Toronto Maple Leafs at 32 Columbus Blue Jackets
Friday, December 28, 2018
Nationwide Arena at 7PM ET
ESPN+ at 7PM ET
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Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, the Maple Leafs are a -130 favorite to win on the moneyline. The Blue Jackets are a +110 underdog, while the total is set at 6 goals. As of Friday morning, 66 percent of public bets are being placed on visiting Toronto. Check out our NHL Public Betting Page for the latest information.
Maple Leafs down Red Wings in OT
Kasperi Kapanen scored his second goal of the game in overtime Sunday night as Toronto defeated visiting Detroit by a count of 5-4. Travis Dermott and Nazem Kadri assisted on the game-winner. Kapanen also scored the game’s first goal 27 seconds in as Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly recorded assists. The Red Wings ended up taking a 3-1 lead in the second period, but Frederik Gauthier made it a one-goal game again with his first goal of the season as Par Lindholm and Trevor Moore drew assists. Rielly tied it up at 3-3 with six minutes left in the second as John Tavares and Andreas Johnsson assisted. Detroit took the lead back at 4-3 in the third, but Tavares tied it up again with only eight seconds remaining on an assist from Jake Gardiner. Garret Sparks registered 26 saves on 30 shots to post the win.
Blue Jackets win fifth in a row
Columbus moved its winning streak to five games with the last three on the road Thursday night with a 4-3 overtime victory at the Rangers. Pierre-Luc Dubois won it 31 seconds into overtime with his 14th goal of the season. Artemi Panarin and Seth Jones picked up assists on the goal. Oliver Bjorkstrand gave the Blue Jackets (22-12-3) the lead midway through the first period on assists from Boone Jenner and Cam Atkinson. After New York tied it at 1-1, Columbus again took the lead at 2-1 on a goal by David Savard. Bjorkstrand and Scott Harrington picked up the assists. New York scored later in the second and again in the third to go ahead 3-2, but a goal by Zach Werenski with 2:20 remaining tied it with Jenner recording another assist. Joonas Korpisalo made 19 saves on 22 shots to pick up the victory.
NHL Betting Trends
Toronto
The Maple Leafs are 4-0 in their last four versus the Eastern Conference. The over is 4-0-1 in the last five meetings in Columbus.
Columbus
The home team is 4-1 in the last five meetings. The over is 5-2-2 in the last nine meetings.
Prediction:
Both teams are in fine form, but this is a point of the season where high-powered offenses can overwhelm even the best of defensive teams like Columbus. Maybe the Maple Leafs offense will sputter in April, but right now I’ll take my chances with them against almost anyone. While the Blue Jackets are a solid team, they don’t strike fear in anyone the way Toronto can. Look for Tavares and Matthews to make an impact as the Maple Leafs win another big game.
NHL DAILY PREDICTION: TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS -130