Toronto Maple Leafs Vs. New York Islanders Odds, Picks, and Predictions (1/22/22)

By Scott Steinberg | Jan 22, 2022, 7:17am

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After their 6-3 loss at Madison Square Garden to the New York Rangers on Wednesday 1/19, the Toronto Maple Leafs will play at the New York Islanders on Saturday, 1/22. This will be Toronto’s sixth straight road game. The Maple Leafs are 24-10-3 with 51 points, third in the Atlantic Division. The Islanders are 14-13-6 with 34 points, tied for fifth in the Metropolitan Division. On Friday night, New York beat Arizona 4-0. Ilya Sorokin made 17 saves for his fourth shutout of the season and Brock Nelson scored twice in the victory. The Islanders are 7-1-1 in their last nine games at UBS Arena after starting 0-5-2 in their new building.

Toronto Maple Leafs Vs. New York Islanders Betting Odds

The Maple Leafs are averaging 3.4 goals per game, ranking them seventh in the NHL and allowing 2.6 goals per game which is sixth in the league. Over is 4-1 in Toronto’s last 5 road games. The Maple Leafs are 9-3 in their last 12 games vs. Eastern Conference opponents. Over is 8-2 in Toronto’s last 10 Saturday games. The Islanders are allowing 2.6 goals per game, fifth in the league and scoring 2.4 goals per game, which is 29^th in the league. New York is 1-7 in their last eight games vs. a team with a winning percentage above .600. The Islanders are 0-6 in their last six games as a home underdog.

Toronto Maple Leafs Betting Odds

In his third season as a Maple Leaf, Jack Campbell is 19-6-3 with a .927 save percentage and a 2.24 GAA. Additionally, he has four shutouts on the season. The 11^th overall pick in the 2010 draft has allowed 13 goals in his last three games, going 2-1 in those contests. The Toronto netminder is currently +400 to win the Vezina Trophy.

Morgan Reilly leads Toronto’s defensive group with 31 points (four goals and 27 assists). He’s averaging 24:12 of ice time per game and is a +16 this season, which is tied for the team lead. In his ninth year, he’s blocked 41 shots and delivered 40 hits. Morgan Reilly is +2500 to win the Norris Trophy in 2021-22. T.J. Brodie is a +9 with 11 points in his second season with Toronto. He has blocked 51 shots and is averaging 20:41 of ice time per game. Jake Muzzin who missed the game against the Rangers this past Wednesday, leads all Maple Leaf defensemen in hits this season with 74. He averages 21:22 of ice time per game and has 11 points in 2021-22.

Center Auston Matthews leads the team in scoring this season with 41 points (25 goals and 16 assists). Against the Rangers on Wednesday, he had his 10-game road goal scoring streak snapped. In his last 11 road games, Matthews has 16 points (12 goals and four assists). The sniper has scored 40 or more goals in three different seasons. The number one pick in the 2016 draft is +1200 to win his first Hart Trophy. The Maple Leafs second leading scorer this season is William Nylander with 37 points (16 goals and 21 assists). He’s a +4 and is tied for the team lead in game-winning goals with four this season. Nylander recorded his 300^th career assist in the loss to the Rangers. In his fourth season with Toronto, captain John Tavares has 36 points (15 goals and 21 assists). The year he has won an impressive 61.5% of his face-offs. For his career, Tavares is averaging .93 points per game. Mitch Marner returned to lineup against the Rangers after being in the league’s health and safety protocols. Against New York, he scored his first power play goal in his last 101 games. In 2021-22, Marner has 25 points in 28 games (eight goals and 17 assists). Michael Bunting has been impressive in his rookie season, with 24 points (nine goals and 15 assists) in 37 games. He has scored two power play goals and is averaging 15:07 of ice time per game.

New York Islanders Betting Odds

Brock Nelson leads New York in goals scored with 13, he has 17 points on the season. Nelson has had a rough season as he was out nearly three weeks due to a lower body injury and battled COVID-19. Matthew Barzal is the leading scorer for Islanders with 24 points. He’s scored seven goals on even strength and has seven assists on the power play (leading the Islanders) in 2021-22. In 319 career games, the young center has 276 points (83 goals and 193 assists). In his 14^th season as an Islander, Josh Bailey is second on the team in scoring with 18 points (three goals and 15 assists). He has six points in his last five games (two goals and four assists). Oliver Wahlstrom has 16 points this year in 31 games: (eight goals and eight assists). He has scored a team leading four power play goals in 2021-22. Jean-Gabriel Pageau has struggled this season, scoring 10 points (five goals and five assists). But he’s done well at the face-off dot winning 56.9% of his draws. Pageau is averaging 17:18 of ice time per game. Zach Parise and Cal Clutterbuck are the only Islander forwards to play in all the team’s games this season.

Noah Dobson is leading New York’s defensive group with 14 points (five goals and nine assists). Additionally, he’s tied for the team lead with 63 blocked shots and is averaging 20:49 of ice time per game. Adam Pelech leads the Islanders in plus/minus at +9 this season. He’s second on the team in blocked shots with 50 and leads the defensive unit in takeaways with 15. In his seventh season, the defenseman has 10 points on the campaign (one goal and nine assists) and is averaging 21:24 of ice time per game. Andy Greene is a tough hard-nosed veteran in his 16^th season in the NHL. He averages 17:58 of ice time per game and is a -1 on the year.

Ilya Sorkin has won six of his last eight starts and has only allowed 15 goals over that time. On the season he is 11-7-5 with a .928 save percentage and a 2.26 GAA. Semyon Varlamov is 3-6-1 with a .917 save percentage and a 2.61 GAA.

Toronto Maple Leafs Vs. New York Islanders Picks & Prediction

After the loss to the Rangers, in which they were outscored 5-0 in the second and third periods, Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe called his team “soft” in the post-game press conference, I’d expect the Maple Leafs to be aggressive against the Islanders. Another storyline is, John Tavares returning to play his original club. Although it has been almost four years since he left the Islanders, Tavares will hear the “boo-birds” throughout the game.

New York has struggled all season to put the puck in the net with only two players in their lineup scoring at least 10 goals, Brock Nelson, and Anders Lee. But the Islanders are 12-2-2 when they score at least three goals, including shootout winners.

The Islanders have scored at least four goals in regulation twice in their last three games; they beat Philadelphia on Tuesday, 4-3 in a shootout. The Maple Leafs have scored 10 goals combined in their three contests (3.3 goals per game). I’m going with Toronto concluding their road trip with a victory and the game going over 5.5 goals combined.

Scott Steinberg

Scott has been a sports fan since he received a New York Mets jacket as a toddler. He’s been playing fantasy baseball and football for over 20 years, dating back to Frank Thomas being one of his first fantasy baseball picks. As a professional, he has covered the NFL, MLB, NCAAF, and NCAAB and is looked to as the go-to guy for fantasy sports amongst family, friends, and co-workers.