Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Michael Bunting (58) scores on Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) during second period, second round, game one, NHL Stanley Cup hockey action in Toronto, Tuesday, May 2, 2023. According to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., 73 per cent of Proline bettors picked Toronto to defeat Florida in their playoff game Sunday night. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
TORONTO – It seems hope springs eternal in sports-betting circles for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
According to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., 73 per cent of Proline bettors picked Toronto to defeat the Florida Panthers in their playoff game Sunday night. The Panthers won the game 3-2 in overtime to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Fifty-three per cent of Proline customers correctly picked the total under of 6.5 goals.
The series resumes Wednesday night in Sunrise, Fla. Toronto will now attempt to become just the fifth team in NHL history to successfully rally from a 3-0 deficit.
On Saturday night, the Edmonton Oilers dispatched Vegas 5-1 to tie that series 1-1. However, the Golden Knights currently lead 2-1 after earning a 5-1 victory Monday night.
While 73 per cent of customers picked Edmonton to win Saturday, just 14 per cent had the total under of 6.5 goals.
Not surprisingly, the first three games of the Toronto-Florida series were the top events of the week for Proline customers. The fourth and fifth events were the first and third games, respectively, of the Los Angeles Lakers-Golden State Warriors NBA playoff series.
The Toronto Blue Jays completed a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday with a 10-1 victory. That proved to be good news for bettors, as 84 per cent had the Jays winning while 91 per cent took the total over 8.5 runs.
A Proline digital bettor cashed out two $1 wagers on 12-pick soccer parlays this weekend for payouts of $1,969.38 and $1,621, respectively. A retail customer put $60 down on an eight-pick mixed sport parlay that returned $11,151.30.
And a Proline retail customer picked the match winner as well as both teams to score in four Major League Soccer contests, turning a $30 get into a $7039.50 payout.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2023.
