The Toronto Maple Leafs (17-9-6) travel to face off against the Columbus Blue Jackets (11-19-7) on Friday, December 29th. This game will be played at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. Both the Maple Leafs and Blue Jackets will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 ET.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Columbus Blue Jackets

The Toronto Maple Leafs Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

In their 32 games, the Maple Leafs have a 17-9-6 record this season. While playing at their home arena, they have a 9-6-2 record, and their record on the road is 8-3-4. In the Eastern Atlantic division, they are currently 3rd, and in the Eastern conference, they come into the game sitting 7th. This season, Toronto’s average scoring margin is +.2, which has their puck line record at 9-23. Their average home scoring margin is +.2, and in road games, it stands at +.3.

After suffering a 4-2 loss at home to the Senators, the Maple Leafs are looking to bounce back today. Offensively, the Maple Leafs got off to a good start by scoring two times in the first period, but that was the extent of their scoring for the game. In the game, Toronto managed to score all two goals at even strength. They concluded with 36 shots on goal and committed 9 turnovers.

Toronto took a loss against the puck line, going into the game as the favorites with a -1.5-point advantage. The game finished below the over/under line of 7 with a combined total of 6 goals.

The Columbus Blue Jackets Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

As they head into their game vs. the Maple Leafs, the Blue Jackets have a 11-19-7 record thus far. While playing at home, their record stands at 7-10-3, and they have 4-9-4 mark on the road. Their current record places them 8th in the Eastern Metropolitan division and 15th in the Eastern conference. Columbus’ average scoring margin this season is -0.6 leading to an overall puck line record of 22-14. Their scoring margin at home is -0.5 and -0.7 on the road.

The Blue Jackets aim to bounce back following their 4-3 loss on the road to the Devils. Throughout the game against the Devils, Blue Jackets’ offense managed to score in every single period. All three goals came at even strength. They finished with 29 shots on goal and had 3 turnovers.

Despite the defeat, Columbus managed to cover the puck line, going into the game as the underdogs. A total of 7 goals were scored in the game, resulting in a push on the over/under.

Toronto Offense Breakdown

In terms of their offensive performance, the Maple Leafs are averaging 3.5 goals per game this season, putting them in the 7th spot in the NHL. When it comes to shots on goal per game, they are ranked 17th in the league. In terms of power play goals, the Maple Leafs offense is 13th in power play goals. As for shorthanded goals, they are 11th in the NHL.

This season, the Maple Leafs’ have an over/under record of 18-13-1. Throughout the season, they have played 13 games that did not exceed the 7 over/under line. On average, their games are averaging 7.1 goals per game.

Columbus Offense Breakdown

On offense, the Blue Jackets are averaging 3.1 goals per game which is 13th in the NHL. In terms of shots on goal per game, they are 12th in the league. Looking at how the Blue Jackets’ offense is performing during power plays, they are 25th in power play goals and 32nd in shorthanded goals.

The Blue Jackets’ over/under record this season is 20-15-1. For the season, they have had 15 games failing to surpass this game’s over/under line of 7. Overall, their games are averaging 6.8 goals per game.

Toronto Team Defense

Defensively, the Maple Leafs are currently 17th in goals allowed. On average, opponents are taking 32.2 shots per game against Toronto. They also are 10th in shutouts, coming in with 2 shutouts.

Columbus Team Defense

The Blue Jackets’ defense comes into the game with a ranking of 19th in takeaways and an average of 6 takeaways per contest. They hold 3rd place in the NHL for goals allowed, with an average of 3.4 goals given up per game.

Maple Leafs vs Blue Jackets Trends

• Toronto has played well in their previous three road games, going 2-1 straight up. In this stretch, they averaged 4 goals per game while allowing 4. The team also performed well vs the puck line at 2-1.
• When looking at their past five home matchups, Columbus has an puck line record of 3-2 while averaging 4 per game. The team went 2-3 overall in these games.
• Going back to their previous five games as the underdog, Columbus has an puck line mark of 3-2 while going 1-4 straight up.
• Looking back on the team’s last ten games as the favorite, the Maple Leafs have a straight up record of 6-4. Their record vs the puck line in these games was 3-7.

Maple Leafs vs Blue Jackets Prediction

If you’re looking for a moneyline pick, my choice is the Blue Jackets to take down the Maple Leafs at home. With the moneyline currently at +165, I’m placing my bet on the Blue Jackets straight-up.

If you’re looking to get a bet down on this matchup, we foresee the Blue Jackets winning the underdog. However, if you’re not as confident in the Blue Jackets straight-up, we’d still recommend placing a bet on them to cover the puck line.

When considering the over/under line, which is currently at 7 goals, we believe that this game will go over that threshold, and we recommend wagering on the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.