The Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs continue on to Game 2 of an exciting first-round series. Toronto dominated Game 1, defeating the Lightning 5-0. This is where you’ll find everything, including team win odds, the over/under, and point spreads.
Tampa Bay Lightning (+115) vs Toronto Maple Leafs (-140)
TOR: 1-0, 5.00 GF/GP, 0.00 GA/GP
TBL: 0-1, 0.00 GF/GP, 5.00 GA/GP
If there’s any way of silencing your critics, it’s defeating the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Lightning 5-0 in Game 1. Toronto dominated the full 60 minutes of their opening matchup and never looked back. Auston Matthews, who was quiet in last year’s seven-game defeat to the Montreal Canadiens, potted two goals and will look to add more in Game 2. Both he and Mitch Marner faced criticism for their lack of finish last year, but it’s no longer the case against Tampa Bay.
Andrei Vasilevskiy looked extremely shaky, allowing goals you normally see him stopping. It didn’t help that the team around him couldn’t get on the board, nor was it helpful for his defense to concede the blue line the way they did. The one thing Tampa Bay is good at is rebounding after a tough loss. After a playoff loss in the last two seasons, Vasilevskiy is 14-0, with a .966 save percentage and five shutouts. He’ll look to add to that record and redeem himself in Game 2 tonight.
Point Spread
Tampa Bay – Win or Lose By Less Than 2 Goals (+1.5, -200)
Game 1 was a high-scoring affair with five goals, but expect to see a closer title in Game 2. Jack Campbell was phenomenal when he needed to be, and the Leafs were able to count on him to defend their multi-goal lead. Vasilevskiy is a spectacular bounce-back goaltender, capable of shaking off a bad start and playing above expectations in the next game. The Lightning will need him to be like that once more to avoid going back home down two games to none.
Players like Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov were open on quite a few occasions to score goals they routinely make, but some hesitation and gripping their sticks too tightly led to missed opportunities. They’ll look to keep the score a lot closer, and their power play will need to be a lot better than it was in Game 1 if they want to stand a chance in this series.
Total Points
Total Goals Scored – Under 6.5 (-120)
Game 1’s over was 6.5 and came up short, but not by much. As the two teams enter tonight’s game, there’s a feeling that Tampa’s big shooters will be extra motivated to score a couple. They were embarrassed on the road, conceding five goals, including one shorthanded. With all the firepower they have in their lineup, it was surprising to see them look uninspired for long stretches.
At the other end of the ice, Marner and Matthews are playing more intense hockey when compared to one year ago. Kyle Clifford’s one-game suspension should draw in Jason Spezza, who brings an extra dimension to the bottom six. The one thing about Toronto’s game is that once they score a few, they make it their mission to stockpile onto their lead. They took advantage of Tampa Bay’s shortcomings, and they’ll hope to do so again in Game 2. Consider going with the under here (U 6.5, -120), as it’s likely to be a much closer tilt.
Odds via Yahoo and BetMGM.
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