Toronto Maple Leafs Vs. New York Rangers Odds, Picks, and Predictions (1/19/22)

The Toronto Maple Leafs play the New York Rangers in a battle of two original six team on Wednesday, 1/19 at Madison Square Garden.   Toronto is 24-9-3 for 51 points and is in third place in the Atlantic Division.  New York is 25-10-4 for 54 points and is in first place in the Metropolitan Division.  The teams have faced each other twice this season (both games in Toronto) with each winning a game.  In their last meeting back in November, Morgan Reilly scored both goals for the Maple Leafs as they beat the Rangers 2-1.

Toronto Maple Leafs Vs. New York Rangers Betting Odds

The Maple Leafs are 14-3 in their last 17 Wednesday games.  Toronto started the season at +1400 to win their first Stanley Cup since 1967, they currently have the second-best odds to hoist the Cup at +700 (tied with Tampa Bay and Florida).  New York is 11-2 in their last 13 games vs. Atlantic Division opponents.  The Rangers opened the season +2200 to win the Stanley Cup but is currently listed at +2500 to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup.

Toronto Maple Leafs Betting Odds

Goalie Jack Campbell in his third season as a Maple Leaf has been stellar.  In 28 games this season, he’s 19-5-3 with a .931 save percentage and a 2.13 GAA.  He’s 4-1 with a shutout in his last five games.  The 11^thoverall pick by the Dallas Stars in the 2010 draft is currently the favorite to win the Vezina Trophy at +400. 

Morgan Reilly leads Toronto’s defensive group with 31 points (four goals and 27 assists).  He’s averaging 24:07 of ice time per game and is a plus 16 this season.  In his ninth year, he’s blocked 39 shots with 40 hits on the year.  Morgan Reilly is +2500 to win the Norris Trophy in 2021-22.  T.J. Brodie has played well in his second season with Toronto.  He’s a plus eight, 48 blocked shots and 16 hits. Brodie has also chipped in with 11 points.  Jake Muzzin 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.

Star center Auston Matthews leads the team in goals (25) and points (40).   In his last five games he has seven points (five goals and two points); he’s currently on a four-game goal scoring streak.  Matthews is +1200 to win his first Hart Trophy.  William Nylander is second on the team in scoring 36 points (16 goals and 20 assists).  He’s a plus seven and has four game-winning goals (which is tied for the team lead) in 2021-22.  Captain John Tavares has 35 points on the year (15 goals and 20 assists).  He’s been on a cold streak as he only has two points in his last five contests.  For his career, Tavares has averaged .93 points per game.  Mitch Marner who has 23 points this season, has been in the league health and safety protocols since 1/7 and is expected back in the lineup soon. 

New York Rangers Betting Odds

The Rangers have played their last two games both on the road vs. San Jose and Philadelphia respectively.  In their last game on Saturday, 1/15 in Philadelphia against the Flyers, the Rangers won 3-2.  Igor Shesterkin had 26 saves, while Mika Zibanejad, Filip Chytil and Chris Kreider scored for New York.  Kreider scored the game-winning goal, which was also his team leading 24^th goal of the season.   

New York’s success this season, starts in goal with Igor Shesterkin.  The Rangers netminder returned from the NHL’s COVID protocols last Thursday (1/13).  Since being back in the lineup against San Jose and Philadelphia, he’s 2-0 with one shutout.  On the season, he’s 17-4-2 with a .939 save percentage and a 1.99 goals GAA.  Shesterkin is currently +450 to win the Vezina Trophy. 

Defending Norris Trophy winner, Adam Fox is already a tremendous player at 23 years old.   He’s the Rangers leading scorer with 39 points (5 goals and 34 assists).  He’s a tremendous skater, who has wonderful hockey sense seemingly always in the correct position.  The second-year player also has 79 blocked shots (second on the team) and 18 hits.  Fox is +400 to repeat as Norris Trophy winner.  Jacob Trouba has been tremendous this season, blocking a team leading 86 shots in 2021-22.  He’s chipped in 16 points (6 goals and 10 assists) while averaging 22:21 of ice time per game for the Blueshirts.  K’Andre Miller is a physical presence on New York’s blueline.  On the season he has 55 hits and 48 blocked shots.  Miller is a player I really like due to his hard-nosed style.  Braden Schneider made his NHL debut against the Sharks last Thursday and scored a goal in the game.  The Rangers first round pick, 19^th overall in the 2020 draft is a player Ranger fans are excited to see in the lineup.

Artemi Panarin is second on the team in scoring with 38 points.  The perennial Hart Trophy candidate is a magician with the puck able to see the ice at an elite level and score in any situation.  Mika Zibanejad has 14 goals and 21 assists placing him tied for third on the team in scoring with 35 points.  In his 11^th season, he has scored three goals in his last five contests. 

Toronto Maple Leafs Vs. New York Rangers Picks & Prediction

The visiting Maple Leafs are scoring 3.4 goals per game, seventh in the league while allowing 2.6 goals per game.  New York is allowing 2.4 goals per game, second best in the NHL and averaging 2.8 goals per game. 

Ryan Strome has only two points in last five games for New York, but with 28 points on the season, I expect him to break out of his slump soon; could this be the game?  Toronto center Alexander Kerfoot leads the Maple Leafs in plus/minus (+16) and has scored six goals on the season, he’s a player I can see having an impact on this game.

In the last two games played between the teams there has been an average of three goals scored per game.  I would expect both Jack Campbell and Igor Shesterkin to be in the nets for this Eastern Conference showdown.  I’m going with the Rangers at home at under 5.5 total goals.