For one final time this series, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning will clash. Toronto failed in its attempt to make the second round with a win in Game 6, and they now face elimination themselves. This is where you’ll find everything, including team win odds, the over/under, and point spreads.
Tampa Bay Lightning (+105) vs Toronto Maple Leafs (-130)
TBL: 3-3, 3.50 GF/GP, 3.83 GA/GP
TOR: 3-3, 3.83 GF/GP, 3.50 GA/GP
The Maple Leafs enter tonight’s game as slight favourites, as both teams have gone back and forth collecting wins in a 3-3 series. Toronto was the league’s third-best home team during the regular season, while Tampa Bay was the 11th-best away team. The last two meetings resulted in a one-goal victory for each team, ending in 4-3 each time. Jack Campbell holds the better save percentage with .893, allowing 21 goals in six games.
It appears that Andrei Vasilevskiy is human, sporting an .885 SV% and not looking like himself. He received the goal support he needed in Game 6, but he’ll need to be at the top of his game. The Lightning got a big goal from Brayden Point, who was relatively quiet throughout the first five games of the series. Getting him going and having a third line that can replicate last year’s success will give the Lightning an excellent chance to take down the Maple Leafs.
Point Spread
Tampa Bay – Win/Lose By Fewer Than 2 Goals (+1.5, -250)
While most of the games in this series have resulted in multi-goal deficits, the last two games have been air-tight. Both teams will be locked in and doing everything they can to defend, so expect this game to be close. From Game 2 to Game 4, Tampa Bay and Toronto managed to keep the score close for a good portion of the game before things got out of hand. Games 5 and 6 are a perfect representation of defense taking over, and tonight will be the same song and dance.
Campbell and Vasilevskiy will both be in the zone and are required to have their best game of the year. Vasilevskiy has the pedigree and the history of being a dominant goaltender, while Campbell buckled in last year’s Game 7. If Toronto hopes to exorcise their demons and make it into the second round, they’ll need Game 1 Campbell to show up and steal the show.
Total Points
Total Goals Scored – Over 6.5 (-115)
The Lightning got a big overtime goal from Point, which was only his second in the series. What made the team so dangerous the last two seasons was his ability to take over games. He was dangerous in Game 6, and replicating that effort will put Toronto in a tough spot. Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos have points in their last three games and are playing at the level the team needs them to be.
Unlike last year, Toronto’s star players are getting it done. Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner have been money since the start of the series, and captain John Tavares registered two goals in Game 6. William Nylander showed up like he did last year, and the defense is playing some of their best hockey all year. It’s a promising sign to see them get goals from all four lines and watch Morgan Rielly score on occasion, so they’ll be looking to keep it close. In front of their own fans, Toronto is a behemoth of a team to take down, so expect a ton of goals.
Odds via Yahoo and BetMGM.
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