Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Game 2 Prediction, NHL Odds
The Leafs drew first blood with a lopsided 5-0 win on Monday night. In addition to marking their widest margin of victory in a Game 1 clash in seven decades, Monday’s triumph is the first time that Toronto has opened a series with a win on home ice since 2002. With Monday’s defeat, the Lightning have now lost four of six on the road.
Backed by 61% of sports bettors, the Maple Leafs look to Game 2 as surging -135 home favourites. Monday’s victory has given the Leafs a boost on the NHL playoff series prices, where they not sit as -200 chalk. The Lightning have faded to +113 underdogs after briefly improving to -104 in early wager. They have also lost ground on the series prices, where they have dipped to +160 longshots. The total has held steady since opening at 6.5, with the UNDER emerging as a strengthening -124 bet.
Lightning vs. Maple Leafs NHL Playoffs Betting Odds
Wednesday’s matchup at Scotiabank Arena marks the sixth overall meeting of the season between these Atlantic Division rivals. The Maple Leafs have claimed the win in five of seven head-to-head clashes, including three of the past four on home ice. And with their win in Game 1, the Leafs extended a trend that has seen each of the past four meetings between these teams settled by multi-goal margins. With the Lightning getting held to one or fewer goals for the third time in four visits to Toronto, the UNDER prevailed in Game 1, ending a 3-0-0 run for the OVER.
With Monday’s win, the Maple Leafs have gained ground on the Stanley Cup odds, where they now sit at +638. Conversely, Tampa Bay has dipped to a +1200 wager to claim a third straight Stanley Cup title.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Lightning have work to do after being held in check by a smothering Toronto defence in Game 1. Tampa Bay was outshot by a wide 32-24 margin in Game 1, with rearguard Victor Hedman emerging as the only Lightning player to muster more than two shots on goal. The Lightning were also overmatched on special teams. After tallying 14 total power play goals over their previous seven contests, the Bolts failed to convert on five opportunities with the man advantage while surrendering a shorthanded marker. Game 1 was also another tough outing for goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, who has now surrendered four or more goals in four of his past six starts.
Toronto Maple Leafs
Auston Matthews boosted his stock on the Conn Smythe Trophy odds after turning in a two-goal, three-point performance in Game 1. The NHL’s top goal scorer has now tallied 25 goals and 41 points in 24 games since the beginning of March, and five total goals in his past two appearances against Tampa Bay. The increased likelihood of Michael Bunting’s return to action after missing the past four games due to injury should give the team a further boost. However, Toronto will be without Kyle Clifford in Game 2 after the bruising winger was handed a one-game suspension for a nasty hit on Ross Colton on Monday night.
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