NHL Betting: Maple Leafs vs Devils & Ducks vs Blackhawks – 03/23/2022

This is quite the comedown from the number of games played last night with only four on today’s schedule. We are continuing to reassess where teams are at after the trade deadline with the number of players that were moved in the hopes of being able to cash in on our wagers for the following two games.

Moneyline: Toronto Maple Leafs (-350) vs New Jersey Devils (+280)

The Maple Leafs are coming off a pretty bad loss to the Nashville Predators on March 19, 2022, and have had three full days rest to get ready for this matchup. Over that span, the Leafs were made aware that defenseman Rasmus Sandin will be out of the lineup to injury for the next few weeks but also traded to acquire defenseman Mark Giordano and forward Colin Blackwell to bolster their team for a playoff run. Both players will make their Maple Leafs debut in this game.

The Leafs don’t expect Jack Campbell back for another week or so, which means Erik Kallgren or Petr Mrazek will get the nod in net. It’s uncharacteristic for the Leafs not to name their starter ahead of the game, but regardless of which goaltender it is, they should have enough firepower upfront to outscore the Devils. Jon Gillies looks to be the starter for the Devils in this game with Nico Daws playing last night against the New York Rangers, but the team has struggled to get good goaltending all season. With Auston Matthews one game removed from his suspension, he will likely continue to add to his goal-scoring lead after scoring in Nashville.

Auston Matthews Toronto Maple Leafs
Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Mitch Marner is also coming off a three-point night in his last game and riding a three-game point streak. The Devils are on the second night of a back-to-back set with travel, which further boosts the odds in Toronto’s favor. In the previous two meetings between these teams this season, the Leafs were victorious in both with 6-4 and 7-1 wins, which suggests parlaying the Leafs moneyline with the over 6.5 goals, which is paying out at -115.

Moneyline: Anaheim Ducks (-120) vs Chicago Blackhawks (+100)

The Blackhawks just finished dealing away some major assets on trade deadline day and will have some younger players filling bigger roles in the lineup. They traded away starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to the Minnesota Wild leaving them with Collin Delia and Kevin Lankinen to man their crease. Lankinen should get the bulk of the starts considering he started 37 games for them last season but is currently sporting a 3-8-4 record with a 3.51 goals-against average and an .889 save percentage in 17 games this season.

Expected Ducks starter John Gibson is the better of his counterpart, although he is winless in his last seven starts. Anaheim owns a winning 16-13-4 record on home ice compared to the 11-16-4 record of Chicago on the road. Forward Derek Grant saw time on Anaheim’s top line with the team shipping Rickard Rakell to the Boston Bruins at the deadline and scored two goals. Troy Terry also tallied his 30th of the season in their previous game despite having a relatively quiet second half of the season.

John Gibson Anaheim Ducks
John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Chicago still has all the star power with Alex Debrincat and Patrick Kane, and with Dylan Strome becoming a regular contributor, still has the ability to put up solid offensive numbers. The Ducks are on a seven-game losing streak and without anyone to really take over the game to get them out of that funk. There’s a good chance the Blackhawks outperform them and get the win unless someone from the Ducks can step up.

Odds via Yahoo and BetMGM.

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