Devils vs Maple Leafs

New Jersey rolls into Toronto on a three-game skid, while the Maple Leafs have collected points in three straight despite an uneven first half, setting up a classic desperation-versus-momentum clash between teams separated by just two points in a tight Eastern playoff race.  The Devils sit at 20-16-2 overall and 10-9-0 on the road, heading into a building where Toronto is 17-15-6 with a formidable 12-5-5 home record, so backing the slight road favorite means respecting how often the Leafs still protect Scotiabank Arena.  Injuries nudge this toward New Jersey: the Devils’ current list is headlined by depth pieces Simon Nemec and Evgenii Dadonov, while Toronto not only has William Nylander officially day-to-day but is down multiple defensemen (Chris Tanev, Brandon Carlo, Dakota Mermis, Marshall Rifai and goalie Anthony Stolarz), and current ESPN rosters confirm that both forward groups are otherwise largely intact with Hughes–Hischier–Bratt–Meier available for New Jersey and Matthews–Tavares–Knies–Domi leading Toronto. ([nhl.com](https://www.nhl.com/devils/news/preview-2025020617)) Historically, the Leafs’ stars have done damage in this matchup — Auston Matthews owns an overtime winner and several multi-goal nights versus the Devils, and Nylander’s two-goal OT performance last January stood out — but Jack Hughes answered with a hat trick in a 5-2 road win here in October, with Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt repeatedly tilting the ice in New Jersey’s favor. With the Devils carrying the more efficient power play (10th in the league versus Toronto’s 27th-ranked unit) and facing a depleted Leafs blue line, I’m willing to back New Jersey on the moneyline at -115 for a B-grade play that leans on special-teams edge and relative health but still respects Toronto’s strong home profile. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 30/12/2025 09:23am

Recent Devils–Leafs meetings have produced plenty of fireworks, with scorelines like 6-3, 5-2 and 4-3 in overtime balanced by only one true 2-1 grinder, so a total of 6 feels a touch conservative given how often these offenses trade chances.  Matthews, Nylander and John Tavares have repeatedly scored against New Jersey, while Hughes, Hischier, Bratt and Meier have already hung a 5-spot on Toronto in this building this season, underscoring how much elite finishing is on both benches when these rosters are healthy. From a form standpoint, New Jersey’s current three-game skid has been driven more by defensive lapses than by a lack of looks, and Toronto comes in on a three-game point streak with Joseph Woll posting a 5-1-0 December (2.66 GAA, .912 save percentage) behind a defense that remains thinned by multiple injuries.  Add in that the Leafs’ power play is struggling at 27th while the Devils’ man-advantage sits 10th, creating a recipe for extended offensive-zone time, rebounds and counterattacks both ways rather than a low-event chess match. With high-end scorers on each side, recent head-to-head history skewing toward multi-goal periods and injury-weakened blue lines, I like Over 6 at -115 for a B+ grade, expecting both clubs to reach at least three goals often enough to make the juice worthwhile. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 30/12/2025 09:23am

Toronto’s combination of strong home record and how tightly this matchup usually plays out makes taking the Maple Leafs at +1.5 on the puckline attractive, even if the -267 price keeps it in the “solid but not spectacular” value bucket.  their last five meetings, only two have finished with more than a two-goal margin, three have gone to overtime (including 2-1 and 4-3 Leafs wins), and even the Devils’ 5-2 road victory in October required Hughes’ hat trick to truly separate late — all of which points toward one-goal outcomes being more rule than exception.  New Jersey comes in on a three-game losing streak and still lists defenseman Simon Nemec and winger Evgenii Dadonov on IR, while Toronto, despite missing several blue-liners and monitoring Nylander’s status, has been banking points in three straight and sits at an impressive 12-5-5 at home, suggesting that even when the Leafs bend, they rarely break by multiple goals on their own ice.  I expect the Devils to be the more desperate side and I’m already backing them to edge the result, but the higher percentage outcome is a tight, one-goal game where Toronto’s top-six scoring keeps them inside the number, so I’ll take Maple Leafs +1.5 (-267) with a B- grade, acknowledging the high probability of cashing but the modest monetary upside. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 30/12/2025 09:23am