Maple Leafs Hurricanes Betting – Maple Leafs Come Up Short In Important Conference Game
The online betting sites are seeing a pick up in action this week. There are a lot of people that want to bet on March Madness, and many more that want to try to predict who will make the NHL playoffs. All of the NHL teams have 15 games or less remaining on their regular season schedule, and every game counts. This game is a battle between two teams desperately trying to claw their way up the Eastern Conference standings and grab on to that eighth and final playoff spot.
- What: NHL Betting
- When: Wednesday, March 16th, 7:00 PM ET
- Where: RBC Center, Raleigh, NC
- Pick: Carolina Hurricanes
Why Bet On Toronto
The Toronto Maple Leafs have burst through the Eastern Conference standings out of nowhere to become a playoff contender. All season long, the Leafs languished in the Eastern Conference basement. As soon as they brought up goaltender Jim Reimer about two months ago, their fortunes changed.
The rookie goaltender Reimer is holding his own as he has a 2-2-1 record in the last five games. But a blowout loss to the Blackhawks last week showed that Reimer still has a way to go in his development. But he offers stability to the Leaf’s goaltending that had not experienced for almost three years.
The team is 4-2-4 in the last 10 games and only six points out of the final playoff spot in the East. The Leafs are 0-2-1 in the last three games, and are losing ground quickly on the eighth-place New York Rangers. But the Leafs have been resilient these last few weeks, and show a knack for winning when they really need to.
Why Bet On Carolina
The Carolina Hurricanes had to watch as the Buffalo Sabres jumped over them and into the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. Then the Sabres got past the Rangers into seventh, leaving the Rangers and Hurricanes to battle it out for the last playoff spot. Carolina is only two points away from the Rangers, which means a win over the Leafs puts the Hurricanes back in playoff contention.
The Canes are 18-10-4 at home this season and 4-4-2 in the last 10 games. No matter what seems to be happening to Carolina on the road, they always seem to respond with a win at home. The Hurricanes are coming off a tough home loss to the Atlanta Thrashers, but it has been some time since the Hurricanes have allowed a string of losses to happen in RBC Center.
How The Game Will Play Out
The Maple Leafs are scrambling for their playoff lives, and they have developed a habit of leaving goaltender Reimer on his own while the Toronto defense joins the offensive rush. That won’t work against the Hurricanes as the Hurricanes have a very fast set of forwards that will make Toronto pay for aggressive defense. Carolina goalie Cam Ward is a Stanley Cup champion that knows what this game means to his team. Look for the Hurricanes to step up their play and put themselves right back into playoff contention.
