Wednesday’s NHL slate features a lone matchup as the Toronto Maple Leafs hit the road to face the Columbus Blue Jackets. Both teams are chasing their third straight win, with each returning to Columbus after Tuesday night action, Toronto hosted Calgary, while Columbus visited Buffalo. A victory would mark a key three-game streak and could provide a valuable momentum boost for either side heading into the weekend.

The clash should present plenty of betting opportunities and promises excitement across the league. We’re looking to build on our early-season momentum and continue the strong player prop success that fueled last year’s run with Mitch Marner, Mark Scheifele, Wyatt Johnston, Rasmus Dahlin, Teuvo Teravainen and Connor Hellebuyck.

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Expect Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews To Stay Hot Against Blue Jackets Toronto's Auston Matthews has 16 goals and 14 assists for 30 points over his last 16 games versus the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Columbus Blue Jackets Best Bets:

Over 6.5 Goals (-133)

Bobby McMann Over 0.5 Points (+125)

Sean Monahan Over 0.5 Points (-153) 

Both teams face the challenge of traveling for the second leg of a back-to-back while trying to secure wins in both games. Recently, the Blue Jackets have held the edge, winning four of their last six matchups against the Leafs. Toronto is slowly climbing out of an unusual early-season slump, sitting at 5-4-1, nearly identical to Columbus’ 5-4-0 record. The history between these teams and their current records suggest this game will be tightly contested, with the Leafs looking to bounce back after two consecutive road losses in Columbus.

Toronto’s 4-3 victory on Tuesday was fueled by wingers Matthew Knies and Max Domi, each scoring two goals. The Blue Jackets edged out a narrow 4-3 overtime win against the Sabres, with forward Miles Wood scoring his second goal of the game for the winner. Both teams will be counting on players who have started slowly to step up in this critical back-to-back, with Toronto hoping Bobby McMann can provide the spark.

The 29-year-old winger has gone six games without a point after a strong start that saw him record two goals and an assist in his first four contests. He has just one point in six career games against Columbus but will look to make the most of his new linemates. Recently, Toronto coach Craig Berube shuffled the lines to ignite some energy, moving McMann to the top line with superstars Auston Matthews and William Nylander. The move has yet to produce results for McMann, but a breakthrough seems inevitable. Matthews will almost certainly help McMann find the score sheet as the Leafs captain has scored 16 goals and dished for 14 assists, totaling 30 points over his last 16 games versus the Blue Jackets.

For Columbus, top-line center Sean Monahan needs to improve, registering four assists but no goals through nine games. A Brampton native who grew up near Toronto, Monahan has performed decently against his hometown team, tallying seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points in his last 25 games versus the Leafs.

This matchup is likely to push toward the over, as both teams will be fatigued after playing a seven-goal game and traveling for today’s contest. Both squads will rely on backup goaltenders: Columbus’ Elvis Merzlikins, who has a 4.33 goals-against average and .876 save percentage in seven career games against Toronto, and the Leafs’ Cayden Primeau, who has allowed seven goals in two starts this season, shedding light on why he was placed on waivers by the Montreal Canadiens.

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