The Toronto Maple Leafs hope to put the Tampa Bay Lightning on the ropes tonight and earn a 3-1 series lead. The Maple Leafs earned a tough win in Tampa Bay, defeating the Lightning 5-2 in Game 2. This is where you’ll find everything, including team win odds, the over/under, and point spreads.
Brandon Hagel – Team Goalscorer (First, +800)
In each of the first three games of this series, both teams got goals from unexpected sources early on. Whether it’s David Kampf scoring a shorthanded goal in Game 1 or Corey Perry continuing to be a thorn in Toronto’s side, each team’s bottom-six is providing so far. Brandon Hagel got on the board in Game 2 and has nine shots on goal in this series. He’s been a pest on the ice, and despite his lack of ice time, he battles consistently on every shift.
Hagel meshes well with Ross Colton and Nick Paul on the third line. All three players are tough puck battlers who have no quit to their game and excel in corners. Like the fourth line with Perry, this line knows how to dig pucks out of skates and get greasy goals in the crease. Hagel has been good so far in this series, so it’s worth considering making a big risk here and putting some change on these odds.
Victor Hedman – Player Power Play Points (Over 0.5, +120)
The Lightning will need the Game 2 version of Victor Hedman in Game 4 if they wish to even up the series. His four-point performance helped catapult the team to a 5-3 victory, and he was especially dangerous during the man advantage. Three of his four points came on the power play that night, and the Lightning ate up the Maple Leafs’ lack of discipline.
Toronto’s change in philosophy for Game 3 by scratching both Kyle Clifford and Wayne Simmonds worked in their favour, as they reduced their time in the penalty box significantly. If Tampa Bay wants some power-play production, they’ll need to use their speed to draw some stick infractions because the guys taking roughing penalties aren’t drawing into the lineup any longer. If Hedman can get on the power play at least twice tonight, he’s good for at least one point.
Both Teams to Score Goals – 3 or More (Yes, +155)
We took these odds in Game 3 and came up just short, but we like it for Game 4 tonight. Only once have both teams scored three goals each in a game, but it came after a Tampa Bay loss. In front of their home crowd, they’ll want to right the wrongs of Game 3 and make Jack Campbell‘s night miserable. To do so, they’ll need more out of the likes of Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, and Brayden Point.
At the other end of the ice, Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews continue to be the dominant players that Leafs fans had hoped for. Toronto didn’t need any production from Matthews in Game 3 either, with contributions from the third and fourth lines. Now that Jason Spezza has drawn into the lineup, the dynamic on the team has changed.
Odds via Yahoo and BetMGM.
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