Maple Leafs vs. Rangers NHL Picks: Top Goalies Battle in New York

The Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers are two of the NHL's best teams since the holiday break. We look at which team will prevail with our Maple Leafs-Rangers NHL picks.

The Maple Leafs are in New York to take on the Rangers for the third time this season. The two teams split the first meetings, both in Toronto, with each side winning by a final score of 2-1. We're likely in for another low-scoring game on Wednesday.

Toronto (24-9-3 straight up, 17-18 Over/Under) is 6-1-1 in its last eight games and 4-1-1 since the holiday break. New York (25-10-4 SU, 12-25 O/U) won its last two games and is 6-3-0 since the break.

Here are my picks and predictions for Wednesday’s NHL matchup between the Maple Leafs and Rangers (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Maple Leafs vs. Rangers Game Info

Date/Time: Wednesday, Jan. 19, 7:30 p.m. ETTV: TNT, TVAS, SporstnetLocation: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Maple Leafs vs. Rangers Odds Analysis

The line has moved a bit for this game. Toronto opened as a -155 favorite and jumped as high as -170 on Tuesday, but the Leafs now sit as -145 favorites on DraftKings. The Rangers are home underdogs at +125. Sixty percent of the handle and 63% of the bets are on the Rangers.

The total for this game opened at 6 goals but quickly came down to 5.5 and is still there. The Over 5.5 is -115 while the Under 5.5 is -105. Seventy-two percent of the bets but only 54% of the money is on the Over.

Maple Leafs vs. Rangers Picks

Maple Leafs (-145) ???Under 5.5 (-105) ???

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Maple Leafs vs. Rangers Predictions

Maple Leafs (-145)

The Maple Leafs were the better team in both games against the Rangers this season. In the first meeting, they outshot the Rangers 41-23 but Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin had a masterful performance in a 2-1 overtime win for New York. A month later, Toronto pulled out the 2-1 win while outshooting New York 30-28.

Toronto is well-rested with three days off after a 6-5 win over the St. Louis Blues. The Leafs had a huge shot advantage (40-25) in that one as well as their game prior, a 2-1 road loss to the Arizona Coyotes that saw goaltender Karel Vejmelka make 45 saves for the Coyotes, who managed just 18 shots.

The Rangers barely scratched out a 3-2 road win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday and could be in for a rude awakening against a rested and healthy Toronto team. The Leafs are 3-1-0 this season on three or more days of rest, including 3-0-0 after a win. Toronto has been a much better team overall this season with a 54.78% expected goals for share at 5-on-5 –– third-highest in the NHL. Meanwhile, the Rangers have the third-lowest xGF at 45.38%, per Natural Stat Trick.

Maple Leafs goalie Jack Campbell (19-5-3, 2.13 GAA, .931 SV%) should get the job done against Igor Shesterkin (17-4-2, 1.99 GAA, .939 SV%) and the Rangers.

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Under 5.5 (-105)

The first two meetings between these two teams had six total goals scored, with only five in regulation. Campbell and Shesterkin are two of the best goalies in the league and have the ability to keep it a very low-scoring game in New York.

The Rangers have played to totals under 5.5 goals in four straight and six of their last seven games –– the lone outlier was a 5-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. Toronto has been higher-scoring recently, but we should see the Maple Leafs bear down defensively against the Rangers as they did in the first two meetings.

I expect Toronto to control play and keep the Rangers from having too many high-quality chances. I’m banking on Campbell and Shesterkin to have another Under 5.5 game.

SEE ALSO: All picks and odds. Be sure to check out SportsbookReview.com's community forums and betting tools.

Maple Leafs-Rangers picks made 1/19/2022 at 2:37 p.m. ET.