In what is now a best-of-three series, the Tampa Bay Lightning visit the Toronto Maple Leafs for Game 5 tonight. The Lightning evened up the series with a convincing 7-3 win in Game 4. This is where you’ll find everything, including team win odds, the over/under, and point spreads.
Tampa Bay Lightning (+100) vs Toronto Maple Leafs (-120)
TBL: 2-2, 3.50 GF/GP, 4.00 GA/GP
TOR: 2-2, 4.00 GF/GP, 3.50 GA/GP
The series had a monumental change in momentum in Game 4 after the Lightning took a three-goal lead in the first period. Captain Steven Stamkos scored his first of the series, and both Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov registered multi-point games. The Maple Leafs failed to solve the Lightning’s onslaught on offense, specifically in the first half of the period. With both teams splitting the two-game home series in each other’s barns, it now shifts back to Toronto for a pivotal Game 5.
Jack Campbell had a rough night, surrendering five goals on sixteen shots before conceding the net to Erik Kallgren. Campbell finished the night with a .688 save percentage (SV%), the lowest of his playoff career. On the bright side, he’s bounced back once this series, following up a tough Game 2 loss with a heroic start the following game. One area of concern is captain John Tavares‘ lack of production thus far, who has just two assists and a minus-3 rating in four games.
Point Spread
Toronto – Win By More Than 1 Goal (-1.5, +195)
Toronto followed up a heart-wrenching loss in Game 2 with a tremendous effort, and they’ll look to do the same at home tonight. They can’t afford to return to Tampa down 3-2, where the Lightning will have all the momentum. They’ll need both Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner to continue their scoring ways, both of whom have had excellent bounce-back performances after last year’s shortcomings.
Home-ice advantage and the fact that Toronto played well in both opening games make them the slight favourite to win Game 5. Each game has been decided by two goals or more, and that trend is sure to continue. Toronto stands a good chance at flying back to Tampa Bay with a 3-2 series lead given the circumstances, but what they do with that lead is the biggest concern.
Total Points
Total Goals Scored – Over 6.5 (-120)
When you think these two teams will tighten up defensively and try to keep things close, they only score more. Both Andrei Vasilevskiy and Campbell have their hands full with offensive juggernauts firing at will, and the goal totals thus far are astounding. In four games, the two teams have combined for 30 goals, including eight power-play goals and two shorthanded goals. Campbell’s .889 SV% rivals Vasilevskiy’s .888 SV%, and the two are holding on to try to give their team a fighting chance.
Don’t expect the number of goals to increase any further than 10 like Game 4, but do count on the two teams combining for seven or more. They’ve done so in three of four games, and Game 1 had a total of five. Toronto will have a fire lit under them at home, as they normally come flying out the gate to get their fans cheering. Maple Leafs fans are among the loudest in the entire league, so getting them rocking will work in Toronto’s favour and tip the scales significantly.
Odds via Yahoo and BetMGM.
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