Back Maple Leafs To Take Down Rangers

Maple Leafs vs. Rangers, 7:00 ET

I was in the middle of writing this article when my computer gave me the blue screen of death. But, that gives me an opportunity to redo it and hopefully make it even better than what I originally wrote. With sports betting, things won't always go your way - and that's an understatement. You have to be willing to adapt and rebound from frustrating things that happen. Without further ado, let's get into the conversation about the game tonight with the Maple Leafs taking on the Rangers.

The Maple Leafs are one of the better teams in hockey. For the season they have a very strong 36-20-2 record. As you'd expect from that, they have been good both on the road and at home. The road record for Toronto is 16-9-2. Over the past five games, the Maple Leafs are 4-1, but it is important to keep in mind that only three of those games have come after the First Four Nations Face Off break. In the three games since the break, the Maple Leafs have won all of them and they have scored five or more goals in all three. I wouldn't say that their defense has been fantastic in those games, but they've been pretty good overall. For the year, the Maple Leafs are allowing 2.85 goals against per game. They did allow three or fewer goals in four of the five games. In their most recent game against the Bruins, they were able to get a win 5-4 over Boston. Unfortunately, they went to overtime, but I suppose it is a bit understandable considering they were playing the third game in four nights. Tonight they are back in action with a bit of a break and they put Anthony Stolarz in the net. He has been very good for the Maple Leafs with a 12-5-2 record and a 2.23 goals against per game average which is 4th in the league. He also has a .925 save percentage this season and is second in the league.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - FEBRUARY 1: J.T. Miller #8 of the New York Rangers skates against the Boston Bruins on February 1, 2025, at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Rangers are not having a great season, but they also aren't terrible either. They are 29-25-4 for the season, but they haven't been a fantastic home team either. They are 14-12-2 for the year on their home ice. Since the return to action, the Rangers are just 2-1 in those three games. They were blown out by Buffalo in their first game, and then in the next two they did a great job of responding with defense and they also turned on the offense. Buffalo scored eight goals on the Rangers in the first game and then in the next two they allowed a total of four goals. They also have put up five goals in both of the past two games. They had the exact same game days as the Maple Leafs so there is no rest advantage but at least both should be ready for this game. The Rangers are putting Igor Shesterkin in the net tonight. He is 20-20-2 for the season with a 2.93 goals against per game average. He has a .905 save percentage as well. He did face the Maple Leafs earlier in the season and allowed just one goal in that game.

There isn't much of a feel for me on the total in this one, though I do prefer the under as opposed to the over. I think the teams are both very capable of finding the back of the net, but I don't know that I'm overly confident either side of the total. Instead of taking on the total I think the smarter play is to take Toronto. I'm going to back the Maple Leafs at -125. 

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024