Maple Leafs go for home-and-home sweep of Devils

It’s not quite the Super Bowl betting line, but sports wagering players should take a look at the NHL betting matchup between Toronto and New Jersey on Friday night, as the Devils were blanked in Canada on Tuesday, and it looked like the Maple Leafs were sparked by their new additions.

Maple Leafs vs Devils odds – Friday, February 5, 7:00 PM ET

Dion Phaneuf and Jean-Sebastien Giguere, both acquired in a weekend shakeup of the team by general manager Brian Burke, definitely made their presence felt in a 3-0 shutout of the Devils at home, as Giguere made 30 saves and became only the second Toronto goalie to get a shutout in his Maple Leaf debut. Phaneuf laid out Devils star Zach Parise within seven minutes of the first period, and then fought Colin White when he came over to defend Parise. Phaneuf led the team in shots, hits shifts and he was second in ice time, and with the news that Mike Komiserek will be out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury, it looks like Phaneuf is preparing to carry a big load on the expensive Toronto blue line. Phil Kessel, Nikolai Kulemin and Francois Beauchemin all got on the scoresheet for the Maple Leafs.

Yann Denis got the start in place of Martin Brodeur and stopped 23 of 26 shots for the Devils, who has scored more than two goals just twice in their last 10 games. The Devils have never been known as an offensive juggernaut with their tight defensive system and Brodeur, a future Hall of Famer at the back, but their 146 goals rank them in the bottom third of the league. Word is that the Devils are interesting in jumping in the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes as the free-scoring winger is being dangled by Atlanta, but it’s hard to imagine him fitting in their rigid system.

You’d be better off going to a super casino and betting it all on red than betting on Maple Leafs on the road, where they’ve dropped nine of their last 10. The Devils will definitely be the favorites in New Jersey, even though they’re only 4-5-1 in their last 10 home games against the Maple Leafs. It’s too much to ask of Phaneuf to turn around the Leafs’ fortunes on the road just yet, and you can almost take to the bank that Brodeur will be starting this game after missing his first start since December 19^th.  New Jersey is 18-9 at home, and they’ll play with more confidence with Brodeur in between the pipes. Meanwhile, we’re still wondering where the goals are going to come from in Toronto.

Bet hockey Pick: New Jersey