Panthers seek 3-2 series edge before returning home; Maple Leafs aim to bounce back after two road losses.
This is the most important game of the Maple Leafs' season so far, as they've already had two chances to secure a win and move within one victory of reaching the Conference Finals.
However, the Panthers battled back with two home wins and now could put Toronto on the ropes with a win on the road during game five. It'll be another tight game with both teams looking to win the most crucial game of the series yet.
For bettors, this matchup provides a chance to capitalize on some of our recent strong trends, like our 36-28 record on our last 64 picks, including perfect records during Game 1 and 4 of the Maple Leafs-Senators series.
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All betting lines are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers Best Bets:
- Panthers ML (-145)
- Under 5.5 goals (-102)
- Sam Reinhart Over 0.5 points (-170)
Florida has been in these kind of high pressure situations before after making the last two Stanley Cup Finals and have adjusted to playing crucial games and scoring when they need to.
When making it to the Conference Finals last season, the Panthers went on the road with the series tied at 2-2 against the top team in the East in the New York Rangers. Florida scored two clutch goals in third and went on to win the series and then the Stanley Cup.
These moments they are familiar and comfortable with plus the confidence built from two dominant home wins should propel them into a solid effort for game five.
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Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky is coming off a 23-save shutout, and there’s still anticipation for bigger games out of players like Matthew Tkachuk, who has yet to score, and Sam Reinhart, who has recorded points in just one of the four games so far this series.
After finishing with almost 40 goals this season, I expect Reinhart to play a much better game alongside his red hot centre in Aleksander Barkov. I wouldn't expect a lot of scoring in this however as the series is starting to tighten up physically, the scores will start to shrink much like the 2-0 win for Florida in game four.
Toronto netminder Joseph Woll has done everything he possibly can to keep his team in every game and should keep up his stellar play when returning home, where he finished with a 13-5-0 record this season and has yet to record a loss in two home starts this postseason.
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