The Toronto Maple Leafs will be looking to extend their lead atop the North Division standings on Friday night when they close out a two-game series with the Winnipeg Jets as -140 road favourites on the NHL odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto opened the series with a 3-1 victory on Wednesday and now sits three points up on second-place Winnipeg going into Friday night’s matchup at Bell MTS Place.
Despite lingering concerns over the team’s goaltending depth as the regular season approaches the home stretch, the Maple Leafs have managed to overcome a 1-6-0 run that threatened to topple them from the top of the division. Wednesday’s victory marked the team’s first win in regulation in 12 outings since its three-game sweep of the Edmonton Oilers at the beginning of March. Toronto has also picked up at least a point during a five-game surge that has featured four wins.
While starter Frederik Andersen remains sidelined by a lower-body injury, backup Jack Campbell has stood tall. Campbell has surrendered just 10 total goals during an impressive 7-0-0 start, capped by his 26-save performance in Wednesday’s victory.
Listed as +120 home underdogs at online betting sites for Friday, the Jets will be looking to put the brakes on a four-game home losing streak against Toronto. Winnipeg appeared to have found its groove while posting four dominating wins over the final five dates of the team’s recent seven-game road trip. However, the team has struggled recently to produce consistent results on home ice, where they have fallen to defeat in three of their past five outings, all by multi-goal margins.
Injuries have also emerged as a concern in Winnipeg, with veteran forward Blake Wheeler considered questionable after leaving Wednesday’s contest with an upper-body injury. Despite their recent struggles, the Jets have remained resilient, avoiding back-to-back losses in a series on home ice through 17 home games this season.
Elsewhere on the Friday NHL odds, the Calgary Flames ride a three-game road losing streak into Edmonton as +120 underdogs. Losers of six of their past eight games, the Flames saw Wednesday’s road date in Vancouver postponed due to COVID-19 fears. The break may have come at a good time for Calgary, which has averaged just 1.50 goals per game over its past six outings.
The Oilers return from a disappointing three-game road trip as -140 chalk for Friday. Edmonton recently was forced into a five-day break due to a COVID-19 outbreak in Montreal. The team then fell flat in its return to action, losing two of its past three, capped by Tuesday’s 4-0 loss to the Canadiens.
