How Concerned Should the Maple Leafs Be Regarding Auston Matthews' Injury?
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Last week was a very good week for several Canadian NHL teams. Even the Toronto Maple Leafs were enjoying the fruits of another banner weak when disaster struck. For bettors everywhere, this was the one unthinkable thing.
The Toronto Maple Leafs announcing that Auston Matthews would be out for Saturday night’s game against the New York Islanders was big.
There was this immediate thought process that this is not just one of those nagging “load management” issues. That two-word phrase will be uttered a lot over the next couple of weeks, by the way.
The good news was that Toronto recovered just enough to defeat the Islanders 4-3. Remember, this is a team currently without a healthy Jack Campbell or Petr Mrazek. They could not afford to lose their top offensive threat.
Despite this, Canada sports betting players see that Toronto is 8-1-1 in their past 10 games and are scoring at a ridiculous clip with or without Matthews. The Toronto schedule is not horrendous and it should hold anyone else off for second place in the Atlantic Division with a six-point bulge over Tampa Bay with six games to play.
Thankfully, the injury is not anything major and not all that problematic. Neither is the fact that Toronto is now 5-1 without the center in the lineup. It is more the uncertainty longer-term. So, what do we know?
According to coach Sheldon Keefe, “if this was a playoff game, Auston would be playing”. OK, that is simple enough. No one knows if it is an upper, middle, or lower-body malady. It is a minor issue that is causing him to miss some time. Even that amount of time has not been fully determined.
This does not affect Toronto’s bottom line regarding wins and losses but it does affect goal props, Overs, and pucklines. Toronto plays next on Tuesday against Philadelphia at home. After that, there is a road trip to Florida before closing out the regular season with back-to-back home games. Could Matthews be rested all week? That remains a possibility.
The inevitable rust questions will be asked but until the center is back in the lineup, bettors will have to approach Toronto a little differently. Just keep an eye on things.
Vancouver and Winnipeg Push Onward
Those who engage in Ontario sports betting still have a love-hate relationship with teams like the Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets.
Those teams can look like world-beaters and also-rans in a blink of an eye. Both teams face uphill battles at best for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Vancouver is not in a great position but the recent five-game winning streak keeps it alive … barely.
The Canucks are six points out of a playoff spot (Los Angeles has 90 points) and that lends some hope. Their big week has them within a chance to get even closer this week.
However, time might be running out for Vancouver and the schedule does it no favors later in the week with games in Minnesota and Calgary.
Those are far from easy opponents and Vancouver has to at least split the next two games against Dallas and Ottawa. That is far from automatic for a Canucks team that is just three games over .500.
If wagerers think Vancouver is in for a reality check, Winnipeg is just about finished. Losing two straight games to end last week put the Jets 10 points out of the second wild-card spot.
The Jets do not have tiebreakers to lean on, they need to win out, and then pray for help the likes few have ever seen. Oh, the Jets play the Rangers, Hurricanes, then the Avalanche this week. Turn out the lights. The party’s likely over as Winnipeg will be betted against more than for.
Calgary and Edmonton Remain Status Quo
For the inevitable questions to come, Calgary and Edmonton should likely face the resting issue sometime later this week or early next week.
As it stands, the Flames are projected to hold off the Oilers to win the Pacific Division. Calgary has a seven-point lead and a game in hand on Edmonton. Their position, for better or for worse, seems to be solid.
The same can be said for Edmonton in a sense. The Oilers’ 8-1-1 mark over the past 10 games is enough to likely seal a playoff spot sometime this week. The math is in their favor with six games left.
Next week may not even come down to seeding as Los Angeles tries to hold on to that third spot in the division.
Edmonton has a chance to clinch both the second spot and a playoff berth by the end of the weekend. Time will tell but their schedule is favorable and it gets to rest until Wednesday when it entertains the Dallas Stars. That is good news for anyone betting on the Oilers.
Looking Ahead for Montreal and Ottawa
The Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators continue to play out the schedule. Both teams have been eliminated from playoff contention for some time. On the bright side, seeing the promise these teams have for next year is a good thing.
Watching the younger players get a chance mixed in with some older vets might be a buzzkill for some. However, for those still wanting to get some bets in before the playoffs start, now is an ideal time.
Montreal has been showing better offensive form but can be picked on from a moneyline and puckline standpoint again. They are now losers of eight of their past 10 games and five straight.
Ottawa is kind of the opposite. It is 5-4-1 in the previous 10 games and are showing signs of improvement at every turn. It is baby steps but this is a far different Senators team than we saw during the first half.
When Josh Norris and Brady Tkachuk are fully healthy, Ottawa is entertaining with a promising core. It could be sowing the seeds for some nice returns for bettors over the next week and a half.
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